Red Bull’s dominance has been evident in the season’s first seven races. Max Verstappen emerged as the victor five times, while Sergio Perez claimed victory twice. However, a growing criticism arises that Formula 1 has become unexciting due to Red Bull’s consistent success. AlpahTauri driver Nyck de Vries has labeled this criticism as unfair.
Nyck de Vries believes it is in the sport’s nature to harbor a dominant team, as it has with the likes of Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari. He also believes that the field has never been as close as it is now, compared to ten years ago. The Rookie added that Red Bull must be admired for their brilliant work, on and off track.
The Dutchman said, “I think this is an unfair discussion. It’s been like this in Formula 1 for many decades. We had the Mercedes era , before that the Red Bull era and before that the Ferrari era . It’s just the nature of our sport. Of course just before the rule changes it was cool to see Max and Lewis fighting for the championship. But we should all take our hats off to what Red Bull is now showing.”
He added, ” Is that bad for the sport? I do not believe it. People who have followed Formula 1 for some time know that it has always been that way, that you have seasons in which it is clear early on who will win the title and that there are seasons that remain exciting until the end…But if you look at Formula 1 ten years ago and compare the situation to now, the field has never been so close together. Never. But you don’t hear about that. We only look at the positions.”
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Red Bull’s dominance is beginning to leave fans bored
F1 has experienced a notable lack of unpredictability lately, primarily attributed to the significant power advantage the Red Bull team enjoyed over their competitors. In the past three Grand Prix races, no car other than a Red Bull has led. Moreover, Red Bull has a 100% win rate thus far and will undoubtedly aim to make it eight from eight at the Canadian GP. Max Verstappen is in fiery form and seems to be an unstoppable force, as he exhibited at the last three race weekends.
While fans of Max Verstappen and, to some extent, Sergio Perez may find this situation acceptable, neutral viewers who seek excitement in motorsport may have a different perspective. The machinery they have engineered this season boasts no equal, as they have won every race in an unassailable fashion.
Red Bull has derived their advantage mainly from their supremacy on the straights. They boast the best drag reduction on the grid. Furthermore, no obstacle seems formidable enough to hold them back, Verstappen demonstrated at the Miami GP, where he cut through the grid to emerge victor after starting P9.
They currently sit first on the drivers’ and constructors’ standings, with a 53-point lead and a 135 lead, respectively, tipping them favorites to take home both titles this year, as they did in 2022. It will take something special from Mercedes and Aston Martin to capitalize on RBR’s wind tunnel penalty to further their development and make life difficult for the Austrian squad in the latter stages of the season.
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