Mercedes is very far behind Red Bull at present in the current Formula One Constructors’ Championship standings. Clearly, the latter, with their dominant RB19 car, has no threat at present to win back-to-back constructor titles. They have won all the races so far and secured the most points possible in the current season. Last year, Max Verstappen won 15 races, and Sergio Perez won a couple to secure the ultimate lead over the other teams. Hence, Red Bull won 17 races altogether in the 2022 F1 season and landed the constructors title. And this year, they have already won seven races. Hence, their target is to break their own record. But what would it mean for the growth of the sport?
Amid constant Red Bull teams’ victory in the 2023 F1 season, many rival teams, especially Mercedes, have expressed the concern that the motorsport is lagging “fun element.” This is because fans know that team Red Bull will anyway clinch the Grand Prix trophy without any competition. However, F1 CEO believes that other teams should learn from the championship team how to develop their car in such a short period under the cost cap rules.
F1 CEO Says The Sport Is All About “Meritocracy”
Mercedes is asserting that if there is no competition, then fans will lose interest. Two years back in 2021, the epic season that saw Max Verstappen clinch the driver’s world championship narrowly away from the then reigning champion, Lewis Hamilton, saw the television ratings go skyrocketing. This was because of the intense competition between the two teams and the two drivers. However, for the last two years, there has been only one driver and one team that is ruling the grid. If this hegemony of Red Bull goes on for a longer time, then it would be catastrophic for the game in terms of fan following. But F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali states that the cost cap rule’s introduction was primarily to bring all ten teams into a fair game. With every team having the same financial strength, it will be a fair fight to clinch the title.
But something very opposite to that theory is actually happening. Despite that, the F1 CEO believes that he can’t ask Red Bull to slow down to give other teams a chance. Instead, other teams need to buckle up and find a way to compete against the front runners. Domenicali also praised Red Bull and emphasized the value of ‘meritocracy.’ According to him, “Hopefully, other teams will learn from Red Bull and try to close the gap. They need to figure out how the Milton Keynes team developed this superior car in such a short time.” It is essential for teams like Mercedes and Ferrari to bring the fight back to Red Bull, who did such a better job with their car in the shorter term. However, that will not happen until they make a championship-winning car worthy to fight for the title.
Mercedes Boss Agrees With F1 CEO
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also admits that F1 is a “meritocracy” oriented sport. It does not matter if it is good for the game or not. Hence, Wolff believes that it is essential to accept the situation and get back to work. Clearly, the Mercedes boss and F1 CEO share the same idea that rules cannot change mid-season to even out the competition.
Hypothetically, if the F1 community starts to put balance in terms of performance, then they will ruin the game eventually. Hence, the Mercedes boss believes it is better if the best driver wins with the best car and the team that has spent the most amount of money. And other teams need just to work harder and improve as fast as possible.
