With the Formula One season resuming after the summer break, Red Bull’s rivals are struggling to catch up with Max Verstappen and his dominant team. This has led to questions about the short-term future of the sport, with some fans wondering if Red Bull will continue to overshadow other teams until 2026.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc are among those who have expressed concerns about Red Bull’s dominance.
Lewis Hamilton backs Charles Leclerc’s Red Bull forecast
Charles Leclerc finished second to Max Verstappen in the Formula One Drivers’ Championship last year. However, Verstappen has been in dominant form this year, winning 10 of the last 12 races. He is now on course to equal the record of nine consecutive wins at his home Grand Prix in Zandvoort on Sunday.
Verstappen’s team, Red Bull Racing, is also on a roll. They have won 13 races in a row, dating back to the 2021 season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This is the longest winning streak in Formula One history.
Leclerc and Ferrari will need to find a way to stop Verstappen and Red Bull if they want to challenge for the championship this year. However, it will be a tough ask, as Verstappen and Red Bull are in the form of their lives.
On this Charles said, “They have a really big margin and it’s going to be very difficult to catch them before the change of regulations (in 2026),” Leclerc told reporters at Zandvoort.
Mercedes’ seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton feared Verstappen might be unbeatable in the remaining 10 races of 2023.
“There is a high chance that he will win every race,” he told reporters, “They might win everything. Hopefully later on in the year, we’ll get closer, maybe. The fact is they are far ahead and most likely have started developing next year’s car already… so it’s very, very possible that Charles could be right.”
How dominant has Max Verstappen been this year in F1?
Max Verstappen’s dominance is so total that it already feels like he’s won his third straight Formula One title, even with 10 races remaining following the mid-season break.
The Red Bull driver is already in a position to watch a highlights reel of his season and list his favorite wins. There have been 10 out of 12 races so far, plus a further two victories when including sprint races. He has led 467 laps this season, or 76.6% of the laps run this season. Verstappen has been on pole for eight of the twelve races this season, and he has built a commanding 125-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship over his teammate Sergio Pérez who sits on the second position with 189 points.
Even Mark Webber, the ex-Formula 1 driver who was Vettel’s partner when he won nine races in succession, is of the opinion that Max Verstappen and the unbeatable Red Bull 19 are not stopped from performing remarkably well at the Dutch Grand Prix and matching Vettel’s incredible record. He said, “We know the level of intensity he brings – he’s top drawer. For the opposition, of course, he’s now well-established in his career, he’s got an immense amount of experience.
“I think the world would like to see him win his home race [at Zandvoort]. To do the business there would be extraordinary. He should win that one and then he’s equal.”
What do you think about the comments made by Lewis and Charles? Do you think Red Bull will dominate until 2026? Let us know your views in the comments section below.
