Can Anyone Beat Max Verstappen and Red Bull?
Before the 2024 F1 season began it was widely understood that Max Verstappen would win his fourth drivers’ championship, keeping Red Bull as the dominant constructor in the process. A few races into the year, little has happened to make any motorsports fan change his or her mind.
The wide range of F1 betting markets available these days means that there is still some interest in the individual races. But when Verstappen is forced to retire, as happened in Australia, that becomes the biggest news rather than any thought of a challenger rearing his head.
Max Verstappen is undoubtedly the finest F1 driver of his time – and will go down as one of the greats of the sport. But can anyone really hold any hopes of bettering him consistently this season? Will Red Bull remain as dominant because of that? And are all his victories ultimately beneficial to Formula 1?
Domination Again
At the time of writing, the biggest surprise of the season so far is that Verstappen’s record of consecutive wins was not extended as long as we thought it would be. Brake failure in the Australian Grand Prix meant that he was forced to retire and Carlos Sainz Jr. was able to sneak in and take the checkered flag.
But Verstappen is still odds on to win in China and will probably be the favorite for every other Grand Prix for the rest of the season. The Dutchman’s dominance is just part of the routine now and the only question about each race is just how easily he is going to win.
Hamilton Was Right About Mercedes
The big news in the offseason was Lewis Hamilton announcing that he was going to be leaving Mercedes at the end of the 2024 campaign and drive for Ferrari. That threw up a whole load of questions about drivers in both teams but also confirmed suspicions over his grievances with Mercedes.
Hamilton obviously didn’t see Mercedes as being able to correct was has been going wrong over the last few years and decided that Ferrari would stand a better chance of helping him win an eighth title. With no podium finishes in the first four races of the season, it seems as though Hamilton’s misgivings have been proven correct.
The False Dawn of McLaren
One of the exciting stories of last season was the way that McLaren began poorly but came through in the latter half of the season to enjoy a number of podium finishes. There wasn’t enough to overtake Ferrari in the constructors’ championship but there was certainly renewed hope for 2024.
That hope has not exactly been realized as yet, however. McLaren drivers have finished much quicker than last year, admittedly. But a quick fix turnaround has not been evident. There has been just one podium finish at the time of writing – with Lando Norris taking advantage of both Verstappen and Hamilton being forced to retire in Australia. Challenging Ferrari and Mercedes, let alone Red Bull, seems a way off at the moment.
Ferrari Main Challenger
So, it is Ferrari that remains the main challenger to Red Bull. Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc have been able to consolidate their spots behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez and look like they have the beating of the McLaren, Mercedes, and Aston Martin pairings.
Ferrari was expected to be the closest rivals to Red Bull, of course. But there will be some hope that its drivers can manage to wrestle a few more wins away from Verstappen over the course of the season. With Lewis Hamilton joining in 2025, a positive year would be a great way to put some pressure on the perennial champions, at least.
Finding Weaknesses
The problem with even contemplating beating Max Verstappen is assuming that there are any weaknesses to exploit, of course. The competition cannot rely on a faulty brake every race, after all. Teams like Ferrari must plan to win races before anything else and then put those plans into effect.
If Verstappen’s rivals can get close enough it may mean that he is forced into taking risks to win. Making his victories almost routine will not do. Verstappen has stated before that he is unhappy with the new sprint formats brought into F1 and that is one factor that other drivers and teams might want to take a look at to break the existing dominance.
The Problems with Verstappen’s Reign
We should be celebrating the talent shown by Max Verstappen as he wins race after race. There are millions more F1 fans tuning into every Grand Prix thanks to his exploits and the new enhanced profile after Netflix’s Drive to Survive series. Whether Verstappen likes the show’s narrative or not, it has grown the sport’s audience across the world – and especially in the US.
But fans of any sport need competition. Appreciating a dominant talent is all very well. But if there is no one else looking like being able to knock the champion off his perch, boredom can come into play. The greatest F1 seasons are remembered for the ultimate duels between drivers, not so much for the dominance shown. As good as it is watching Max Verstappen win race after race, a resurgent Lewis Hamilton - and other drivers – is needed to take F1 to the next level.
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