“The era when Red Bull had the dominant car seems to be over.” Max Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen, had this to say to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf after recent races where McLaren and Ferrari matched Red Bull and managed to beat it.
After 2023 where Red Bull won 21 out of 22 races and Max took 19 of them, absolute record in what is the greatest dominance in F1 history, much has changed. The F1 World Championship and the fight for victories have been leveled thanks to the evolution of McLaren with the new parts they introduced at Miami (on Norris’ car) and at Imola (on both cars). Furthermore, because of how much it has improved Ferrari for this year after solving his many problems from last year. So, in total, out of 8 races, Red Bull has already lost three in the first third of the season.
So, in the last three races, Red Bull managed only one, at Imola, and Verstappen entered the finish line with only 7 tenths of an advantage over Norris’ McLaren, with better tire wear. Earlier, in Miami, Verstappen failed and could not beat Norris. And in Monaco, a very particular and unique track, Ferrari and McLaren are better. On three different track types, Red Bull didn’t crush, which it usually did last year. And in Canada Ferrari may be the favorite. Although Barcelona, because of its ideal qualities for drawing conclusions, will be the circuit that will give everyone the most answers.
The words of Jos Verstappen
“Maybe they should go back to focusing a little on the race and communication with each other, instead of other things”has released the always controversial Jos, it is certain that Red Bull is no longer a dominant car as in the past and the battle for victories will vary depending on the characteristics of each track from week to week.
“There will certainly be races where Red Bull will come back in good shape, but I am very curious to see how they will solve these problems. They really need to do something (with Red Bull), understand where some problems are coming from. Meanwhile, McLaren and Ferrari are getting closer and closer.”José added.
Of course, before Monaco GPthe father of the three-time world champion is confident that, although Red Bull is not as good as last year, it has more experience fighting at the top in recent years, something he considers important for Max to revalidate the title at the end of the year.
“Being at the forefront for so many years and as a team, “The way we operate, I think it can make a difference for the teams that are trying to chase us.”he told several international media.
“We try to stay calm and composed, we know that in the last races teams have caught up or passed us, so of course we also want to improve. “But I think the experience we have gained over the years makes us a very difficult team to beat in the World Cup, because we don’t make many mistakes,” he added.
Of course, you can’t deny that the fight for victories will be tougher than ever compared to previous years. Your child no longer wins by a half-minute margin. He has many rivals at his level. The excitement is back in F1.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
