Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s days of F1 domination might be over

Max Verstappen and Red Bull no longer seem to be in a comfortable position to win the F1 world title this year.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s days of F1 domination might be over

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (Via: Imago)

Max Verstappen and Red Bull have dominated Formula 1 in the ground-effect era. The Dutch driver has won three consecutive world titles since 2021 with no driver even coming close to his pace. However, it seems that things have become far more difficult for the reigning world champion this season.

After a record-breaking campaign in 2023, fans believed that Max Verstappen would be unstoppable yet again this year. However, Ferrari and McLaren seem to have closed the gap to Milton Keynes right when the team has lost aero genius Adrian Newey.

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Verstappen won four out of the first five races of the 2024 F1 season. However, things have become more challenging for Red Bull since. With the Austrian team losing three of the eight races so far, it seems that Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s days of F1 domination might be over.

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Ferrari and McLaren outshining Red Bull in development for the first time in ground-effect era

Red Bull had spearheaded car development in the ground-effect era. This allowed the Austrian team to gain a massive advantage over its rivals in the past two seasons. However, as cars finally converge to a similar direction, Milton Keynes seems to have lost the upper hand. Moreover, Max Verstappen himself has been uncomfortable with the upgrades brought in the last two weekends.

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)

Verstappen lost the Miami GP to Lando Norris on pure pace. With the reigning world champion coming close to being overtaken from the lead in Imola. Pressure seems to be mounting on Max Verstappen as the Dutch driver made a rare mistake during Qualifying in Monaco. It appears that Red Bull might even be at risk of losing the development war if it fails to extract more pace out of the RB20.

Nevertheless, Monaco was a unique track. Things could change in upcoming races where the RB20 might be better suited. This would be the pivotal moment for Pierre Wache and his team to prove that they can succeed without the guidance of Adrian Newey. On the other hand, Max Verstappen would need to deal with a challenge for the title for the first time since he defeated Lewis Hamilton in 2021.

It is clear that the reigning world champions were no longer going to have an easy run to victory any time soon. Max Verstappen and Red Bull are now in a tricky position. With 16 races left to go in 2024, fans could be looking forward to witnessing a three-way title fight between Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari.

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