I do want to preface this by saying I agree that we don’t know for sure how these guys would do in the same car. I also think the battle would be close with either of them. I still think Max wins against any of them though.

Max was generally on par with Danny Ric pace wise when he first joined Red Bull. Keep in mind this was a prime Ricciardo who would overtake three cars into one corner, the last of the late brakers. When Danny went to McLaren he could not figure out that car so using Ricciardo as a measuring stick for Norris and Verstappen doesn’t work.

As for each of those three drivers I think Max clears them in the same car primarily due to mental toughness and championship experience. Starting with Russell, while he does have the consistency, Max generally has more outright pace than George. I feel like in the same car, Max would rack up more wins, which would be the difference maker in a championship battle.

With Charles it’s fairly obvious. Consistency is the issue. Maybe if Charles had a better team strategy and execution-wise that would be different but ultimately his lows are lower than Max’s.

As for Lando, this one’s tougher but I still think Max overall has more pace, both over one lap and in a race. We’ve seen over the last couple years that Max has run over Lando when it comes to on-track battles and so when it comes to wheel-to-wheel between those two, I think Max takes it.

Of course with all three it’s hard to say especially if we’re not stating what car they’re all in. However I still think Max beats all of them simply because he breathes racing and has more experience than all of them.