Despite Frozen Regulations Until 2026, McLaren Boss Thinks Max Verstappen Will Face More Rivalry in 2024

Sabyasachi Biswas | 26/12/2023
Despite Frozen Regulations Until 2026, McLaren Boss Thinks Max Verstappen Will Face More Rivalry in 2024

Max Verstappen and Red Bull have totally dominated the new regulations as they claimed 38 wins over the last two seasons. However, McLaren boss Zak Brown believes that things are going to change in 2024. Despite the presence of frozen regulations till 2026, Brown believes that F1 is going to be like IndyCar, full of competition.

Speaking about this, Brown said in a report published by Autosport, “For the championship, it’s probably going to be the same cast of characters, but I think Formula 1 is going to get more competitive.”

“I think it’s going to be more like IndyCar where there’s a lot of drivers that can win at any one time and rarely someone runs away with the championship.”, stated Brown.

Following this, he further added that if Verstappen didn’t have the dominant car he has now, there could have been multiple race winners in the season. Given how there were so many podium finishers last year, it was just the wait of the hour.

F1 has largely been one team [Red Bull] and one driver [Max Verstappen] showing off late. Even before this, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton dominated during their era. However, Brown thinks it is going to change in 2024 and thereafter and turn into a far more competitive field seen in IndyCar.

How is the competition level at IndyCar?

IndyCar Series is a popular American open-wheel racing series and lately, it has been very competitive. Teams like Arrow McLaren, Team Penske, and Chip Ganassi Racing have given their all to extract out the best possible season.

In 2023, Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing won the championship with 656 points. Following him, Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing again with 578 points got second place. Meanwhile, Scott McLaughlin finished in third place with 488 points after 17 races.

The primary difference between IndyCar and F1 is F1 strictly races on purpose-built tracks and custom street tracks only for F1. Whereas IndyCar races on different ranges of tracks, and the cars can significantly change depending on the tracks they are racing.

Nevertheless, Red Bull might not see itself dominating the grid after 2026 when new regulations are about to be introduced. Or else they might have to close the gap to a new dominating power, similar to what McLaren did this year.

Post Edited By: Aishwary Gaonkar
IndyCar Max Verstappen Zak Brown

About the author

Avatar photo

Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

Don’t miss these