Red Bull has been the undeniable champion of the current season. They have been absolutely unstoppable and unbeatable. Moreover, only one race remains this season. Up until this point, the Austrian team has won every Grand Prix except the one in Singapore. Ferrari broke their winning streak at the Marina Bay circuit. But prior to the Singaporean Grand Prix, the Milton Keynes team knew that the circuit would provide them with challenges.
Anyhow, Max Verstappen came back stronger in the Japanese Grand Prix to help his team claim the second title in a row. Since last year, Red Bull has outclassed every other team, especially their rivals – Mercedes and Ferrari. Moreover, Red Bull has won 20 races already this season and one more to go. But the last GP made Christian Horner’s team feel the heat as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came charging in. Albeit Max won in Las Vegas, too, it was a close call because of Ferrari’s impressive pace.
F1 Pundit Feels Red Bull Is Feeling The Heat Of Competition Ahead Of The Final Race This Year
If the Austrian team wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, too, then it will be their 21st victory this season. Moreover, this year, F1 had 23 Grand Prix scheduled. But one in Imola got canceled because of the flood. And Red Bull just dominated the season, winning almost every race. The credit goes to Max Verstappen for his relentless pursuit of excellence. He has won 18 races so far heading to Abu Dhabi and would like to win his 19th race this year in the final race of the season. That’s how dominating Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been this year. But their dominance started a year ago. The F1 power of dominance started shifting once Max Verstappen won the Driver’s championship in 2021, beating Lewis Hamilton.
Now, the Austrian team is far ahead of the rest in terms of dominance. However, lately, Ferrari and McLaren have been doing really well. In the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came very close to catching up with Max Verstappen. Apparently, the Italian team is closing in on Red Bull in terms of pace. That’s what F1 Pundit Ralf Schumacher noticed in Las Vegas. Schumacher told Sky Germany that Red Bull must be feeling a bit of pressure. It is mainly because rivals are getting closer. But Ralf Schumacher feels the competition is getting closer as Ferrari looks to challenge the champions. That’s what the F1 Pundit is looking forward to in the next and final race of the season.
Can Verstappen Break Hamilton’s Record?
Anyway, Schumacher also spoke about Verstappen equaling Sebastian Vettel’s Grand Prix win tally. He feels the Dutchman has a good chance to break Lewis Hamilton’s record. At present, only Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are ahead of Verstappen in terms of GP wins. However, to break Hamilton’s record, Max Verstappen needs to continue for a long time and also have the car to win races and championships.
Mercedes' Toto Wolff says Formula 1's "extraordinary" event in Las Vegas shows that early criticism of the event was blown "out of proportion".
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) November 20, 2023
"Lots of things that were said look a little bit out of proportion or too negative because we are leaving Las Vegas after a great… pic.twitter.com/Tseul5C3Ag
What if Verstappen retires from F1 early or Red Bull loses its dominance suddenly like Mercedes did two years back and Red Bull themselves in 2014? Moreover, Ralf Schumacher mentioned nobody expected Hamilton to stop winning suddenly. But in terms of age and talent, Ralf feels Max should be able to break the great Briton’s record of GP wins.