Ex-F1 driver claims Red Bulls’ dominance is adversely affecting popularity by ‘taking away its magic’

Red Bull has won both F1 world titles consecutively since 2022.

Ex-F1 driver claims Red Bulls’ dominance is adversely affecting popularity by ‘taking away its magic’

Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen and Christian Horner (Via: IMAGO)

The Red Bull F1 team has proved just too mighty under the current set of F1 regulations. None of the other teams have been able to pose a serious challenge to them in the last two years and this is something, that is being seen as a cause for worry by Ex-F1 driver, David Coulthard.

The Brit thinks that while Red Bull has done a tremendous job in the last two years, their growing dominance could have an adverse effect on the sport’s popularity. Max Verstappen and Co. have won pretty much everything there is to win in F1 for the last two years.

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While shedding light on the same in an interview with The Telegraph, he said, as reported by racingnews365:

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That expression ‘familiarity breeds contempt’? If you adapt that to sport, the same thing goes. Too much success kind of takes away the magic. With sport, we look to be inspired, to grow, to move forward, and if one team is doing all that, then it doesn’t give enough hope for everybody.

Looking at the reaction of Coulthard, it is quite clear that with his words, he has indirectly urged top teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, to do something about Red Bull’s ever-growing dominance in F1. Moreover, has admitted that if things keep going the way they have so far, then the fans will ultimately stop tuning into the sport.

Red Bull triumphed in 21 out of the 22 races last year

While David Coulthard has shown concern about the Milton-Keynes-based team’s ever-growing grip over the sport, the latter won a highly impressive 21 grand prix last year. Moreover, what makes it extra special is the fact that only 22 races took place in 2023.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (credits: ESPNF1, screenshot)

The RB19 was in a class of its own throughout the season and while Sergio Perez had struggles dealing with it, Max Verstapppen, on the other hand, found no such issues. He was on top of the car from the get-go and this is one of the reasons why he was able to single-handedly score 19 grand prix wins.

The 2024 F1 season is approaching at the rate of knots and Red Bull is slated to launch its car on the upcoming 15th of February. Keeping in view how mighty the Austrian outfit’s last year’s challenger proved, it will be fascinating to see what kind of a car they will come up with this time around.

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