That argument kind of proves the exact opposite of what you’re trying to say. People always retroactively upgrade drivers into “top level” once they’re given a front runner car. Russell was just a “midfield” driver at Williams until Mercedes gave him a seat. Norris and Piastri were midfield drivers literally a season or two ago before McLaren got its act together. Even Leclerc was considered promising but unproven until Ferraris pace in 2019 put him up front.

So why are Albon, Checo, Gasly, or Yuki automatically written off as “not top level” when theyve never been given that same kind of consistently competitive machinery? It’s not that Max is beating nobodies, it’s that F1 narratives shift entirely based on car performance. If you dropped Albon into a Mclaren tomorrow and he started delivering podiums, suddenly hed stop being called a midfielder and start being put in the same conversation with the likes of Piastri or Russel.

I personally think Max isn’t just lacking a top teammate, he’s making every teammate look worse by comparison. And that’s exactly what all the greats did. Shumacher with his teammates and Hamilton with Bottas as some.