Verstappen says 'everyone is catching up' to Red Bull's dominance
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Max Verstappen is coming off three straight drivers’ championships and if the F1 season ended today, he’d win his fourth straight.
But even with an 84-point lead in the driver championship, Verstappen’s dominance has waned in 2024, with other drivers winning back-to-back races and four of the past seven heading into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
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The same is true for Red Bull, who hold a 71-point lead in this season’s constructor standings after winning by 451 points last season, more than double the total of any other team.
“For sure,” was Verstappen’s response when asked if he’s enjoying the increased challenge this season.
“We had some great years. Of course, this year also started off really competitively, and now everyone’s catching up a bit. Every race is a proper battle as well, so it’s great,” Verstappen said during the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend.
“I think that [theme] will continue also for the rest of the season, so it’s really unknown what is going to happen, and that’s great for the sport.”
Through 12 races this year, Verstappen has seven wins. Pretty good, but well off last year’s pace, which saw him tally 10 victories in his first 12 starts on his way to breaking the F1 record with 10 straight race wins.
It took the 26-year-old Dutchman until Singapore last season – the 15th race – to finish worse than second. This year, he recorded his first DNF in nearly two years in his third start of the season.
Six different drivers – Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton – have won races this season in addition to Verstappen. Last year, only Sainz and Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez were able to break through with wins.
Verstappen said the mixed results are exactly what fans are looking for from a spot that has had its problems with parity over the past several seasons.
“I think everyone was waiting for that as well and that’s definitely what F1 fans want. To have this is great between so many different teams as well. It’s going to be a great rest of the year.”