Verstappen again drove a flawless weekend in Japan: pole position, fastest lap and victory. When he got out of the car after the race, it looked like he had just taken a morning walk through the park. A victory has clearly become routine for Verstappen and his Red Bull team, the more formal messages on the on-board radio after a victory are different than a few years ago, when there was clearly more enthusiasm.
After Carlos Sainz’s victory in Australia, many fans had a glimmer of hope that we would have an exciting season, but that hope was completely wiped out after this weekend. Even Toto Wolff has already thrown in the towel and said that with 20 races to go it has already been determined who will win the championship.
“Nobody is going to overtake Max this year,” Wolff said after the race. “His driving capabilities and the car are simply spectacular. You can see how he handles the tires and really this season is just about who is the best of the rest.”
It’s hard to disagree with Toto Wolff. There are many stories and struggles within Red Bull that do not take place on the circuit, such as the whole story surrounding Christian Horner, but the Red Bull and Verstappen machine continues to run at full speed.
Christian Horner does not agree with Toto Wolff, but the gentlemen do have a history to contradict each other.
It is still too early to write off the year, Horner said. We still have twenty races, a lot can happen there that is sometimes beyond your control. I have learned over the years not to listen to Toto Wolff too much, he added with a wink.
It is true that most insiders and fans share Wolff’s opinion. The most heard argument in the paddock is that it would be so exciting if you took Verstappen and Red Bull out of the picture. It also determines the viewing figures. Both in history and now you always see a decline in viewership when a certain rider or team dominates, that has always been the case.
The provisional bright spot of this year is that Ferrari seems a lot stronger and that leaves many hoping that certain races will be exciting and close. However, it will not be an easy task for Ferrari because Red Bull is also not standing still in terms of development. You can see that just from this year’s car, this year’s Red Bull F1 car is a revolution in which everyone expected an evolution.
Dominance of a certain team should never be regarded as criticism, they are where they are because they are doing better than the competition. If you also have an exceptional driver in your car, it makes the story all the more beautiful, but also more difficult for the competition.
The success of F1 is ultimately determined by the number of drivers and teams that can compete for victories and the title. How long it will take before the current situation becomes a more serious topic of conversation remains to be seen, but alarm bells should be ringing now.
Written by Vincent Bogaerts