Red Bull is no longer sweeping and the F1 World Championship is equal: everything has changed

Formula 1 has changed a lot. After two years of massive dominance by Max Verstappen and Red Bull, The highest category of world motorsport is rubbing its hands together for the rest of the season. Eight races have passed and the numbers speak for themselves: Verstappen won 4 of the first five rounds, but only one of the last three rounds. And his teammate Pérez didn’t take them either. In total, in these first eight tests of the 2024 season, Red Bull has lost three, something completely different from what has been experienced since the second half of 2022, when they definitely distanced themselves from the chasing group.

In 2022, Max won 9 of the last 11 races of the year with tremendous efficiency. AND In 2023 he signed an absolute record: 19 out of 22, 86.36% of the total. AND Red Bull won 21 of 22. An atrocity. Of the three races that Max did not win last year, two were won by his teammate ‘Checo’ and only one was won by a non-Red Bull car, Sainz’s Ferrari.

Alternation based on circuits

This Sunday, Max suffered a lot on a circuit like Monaco where he dominated last year. He can only be 6th and is seen to make mistakes classification that adds to what he has already done in Miami’s careerwhere he won the game Norris. It’s true that in Miami the safety car was key to pulling off his victory and it happened on a very atypical track, with very little damage, but it’s also true that Lando Norris managed to distance himself from Max and Verstappen had no chance of catching the Briton. He didn’t even come close. And after what we’ve been through the last two years, that’s more than news.

And in the next race, on Imola, Max He had to climb the walls to make the pole and win. He reached his goal, but not like in previous years. He won by just 7 tenths over Norris who put a lot of pressure on the Dutchman in the final laps.

And then came Monaco, where Verstappen could only finish 6th and Pérez failed to shine. There will be circuits where the current champion dominant, but the scenario seems to have changed a lot. In the paddock it is taken for granted McLaren is already at the level of Red Bull, which is a fact and will be a candidate for many wins on all types of tracks. Ferrari, for its part, may be lagging behind in general in its latest update, but it should fight for more wins on circuits favorable to its car, such as Monaco and Australia, and Canada, the next test , can be .

The characteristics of each route will cause the favorites to vary. They should take turns at the front, or at least, Verstappen should have a harder time winning ‘Checo’ Pérez They will have to raise their level a lot if they don’t want to miss out on the runners-up spot, because the competition is fierce this season. Last year, the Mexican had the fastest car and had everything to achieve that runner-up finish, something that ultimately helped Red Bull win the Constructors’ World Championship. But in 2024, the one from Guadalajara will struggle if McLaren and Ferrari can maintain their level.

The World Cup tightens and attention on ‘Checo’ and Constructors

We’ll have to see how the cars evolve with the arrival of new parts, but what’s clear is that for now, Max knows he has to fight hard. He has Leclerc on 31 points. At this point in the championship, last year Max He was already 69 points ahead of second, with none other than his teammate Perez. And 78 to one that was 3rd, Alonso. now, Norris He is third on 56 points with a very good McLaren. Sainz is 61 with fewer races and Pérez is 5th with 62 points. Red Bull is no longer crushing and the World Cup is becoming exciting.

But where the massive changes the F1 World Championship has undergone in recent races are most appreciated is in the Constructors’ World Championship. At this point in the championship, in 2023 Red Bull had 321 points, 154 more than then second, Mercedes, and 167 more than third, Aston Martin. After the first third of the World Championship, Red Bull now leads the overall standings by just 24 points over Ferrari and has an advantage of 96 points over third, a McLaren that has woken up. The World Cup is approaching and Formula 1 fans are celebrating.