“We’d all love to see two drivers fighting it out, [Ayrton] Senna, [Alain] Prost-style, and even [Nico] Rosberg, Hamilton-style most recently,” said Benjamin.

“That makes people rise up on the edge of their seat and it pushes drivers and teams to the absolute maximum. You get brilliant racing and a reason to tune in week in week out and you need that, especially when you’re adding more and more races throughout the season.

“The thing is though, Alonso, Carlos Sainz is on the market as well, are you going to put them alongside Verstappen? Is Verstappen going to stay in that team? Because if he does stay in that team, he does have a contract, he has been made their star driver.

“Everything they do is for him and for his benefit. He is that team, he’s got it wrapped around his finger. And the power that he and his father Jos Verstappen hold is massive.

“If you want to throw in a Carlos Sainz or a Fernando Alonso, I don’t think either of those drivers would want to settle for what Sergio Perez has done and be that number two driver. They’re too good to be a number two driver in my opinion.

“But they will cause trouble. Alonso certainly, Sainz, and don’t forget, he has got quite a large personality, with his father Carlos Sainz Sr.

“Sainz and Verstappen were team-mates at Toro Rosso when they both came into Formula 1 together, and there were fireworks between them then, and that was when they were racing over ninth and tenth. What’s it going to be like if they end up racing for a race win?

“I think Verstappen wouldn’t allow for another top a-list driver to come into that second seat.”

Verstappen is chasing his fourth successive World Championship in F1 2024, which would see him equal Sebastian Vettel’s title-winning run with Red Bull between 2010-13.