Initially in 2024, McLaren seemed to be the biggest threat of Red Bull for their championship goals. Since 2022, the Milton Keynes outfit has dominated the grid like never seen before. They won 17 races in 2022, with Max Verstappen winning 15 himself. Later, the Austrian team kind of owned the 2023 season, as they only lost one race. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. won in Singapore. But the Dutch racer won a record 19 GPs last year. On the other hand, Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s teammate, managed to win just a couple of races like he did in 2022. Since then, Max and Red Bull have looked like an undeniable power of the motorsport.
They were clear favorites going forward this ongoing season as well. However, if there is another team that had an impressive season last year, then it wasn’t Ferrari but McLaren. Zak Brown’s team did not have a great start last year. But they definitely were the best team in the second half of the 2023 season behind Christian Horner’s team. Hence, McLaren was a favorite team to challenge the reigning champions this year. Lately, though, Red Bull has not won the last two races. Mercedes did.
Why Does All Of A Sudden Red Bull Seem To Lose Their Hegemony?
Since the start of the 2024 regular season, F1 fans have been through some shocking news. First of all, Lewis Hamilton’s announcement of switching to Ferrari next year shocked everybody. Later, the Red Bull power struggle was a major topic throughout the season. But most importantly, an RBR female employee accused Christian Horner of “Inappropriate behavior.” Then, the Austrian parent company had an internal investigation that ended with even more questions. Lately, Zak Brown, the McLaren CEO, told the media, including thejudge13.com, that initially, they thought the result of the 2024 Bahrain GP would set the platform for the reigning champions. Brown’s reaction after the opening GP was, “That’s the championship.” However, after the Austrian GP and the last British GP, reactions have changed a bit as Mercedes won both of them.
Now, Brown feels Mercedes and Ferrari both seem to have the pace to beat Red Bull. Perhaps in the second half of the season, four different teams will win the remaining races. Brown says it is a pity that the season did not start now. The McLaren boss said that it is his opinion that Red Bull has reached their “Terminal velocity.” But then, the point comes of diminishing returns, feels Brown. However, he credits Red Bull for getting there first as other teams are playing catch-up. Moreover, he feels that the “Red Bull turmoil” may have an impact on losing their domination.
McLaren Boss Said The Turmoil Will Play A Role In RBR’s Downfall
After the female employee accused Horner of “Inappropriate behavior,” father of Max Verstappen, Jos told the media that the team will tear itself apart because of the team principal. Lately, Zak Brown mentioned that the “Turmoil” will have a mid to long-term impact. Moreover, the McLaren CEO mentioned that the current car of, RBR was ready last year under the supervision of Adrian Newey.
Next year, the design chief will join Ferrari. Hence, Zak Brown thinks that perhaps in 2026, Red Bull will feel a lack of stability. When they have a new engine coming and whatever would happen in the driver’s front in 2026, Brown says, “Lack of stability will start coming through a little bit.”
Stay tuned with Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.