Exclusive: Ex-F1 Driver Predicts “Fracture” Within Red Bull as Rivals Close In for 2024

Ex-F1 Driver Predicts “Fracture” Within Red Bull as Rivals Close In for 2024

Red Bull have been utterly dominant in 2023 as the team have won all the races in the 2023 season, barring one. That being said, the gap that they pulled to their rivals with the RB19 has slowly started to fade. Ex-Benetton and Williams test driver Perry McCarthy believes that this is an ominous sign of things to come.

Even though Max Verstappen is still dominating every race weekend, the margin of victory has started to come down. Majorly, this is down to rivals like McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes clawing back some performance. But according to McCarthy, there will come a time when the mighty will fall.

He told The SportsRush in an exclusive interview, “It is incredibly difficult to create a leadership position inside of Formula 1. It is also then incredibly difficult to maintain that and stay there. And at some point, they will fracture. Somebody else will find something.”

Ever since the 2022 regulations reset, the developmental race within the sport has been extraordinary. And while Red Bull set the precedent last year with the RB18, McCarthy is of the firm belief that their own brilliance is going to haunt them in the future.

How Red Bull have inadvertently handed their rivals the advantage?

The likes of McLaren and Ferrari are likely to see major strides in 2024. It has become easier for them to do so because Red Bull have handed them a blueprint to follow. “Their [Red Bull] level of brilliance is driving the others even better,” continued Perry McCarthy. Seeing Red Bull’s dominance, McCarthy acknowledges that the teams have become more introspective and competitive.

Lando Norris seems to resonate with the same sentiment. He told Motorsport.com, “For us to go from where we were in Bahrain to getting close and talking about fighting a Red Bull, I think are very good signs for us. We know we still have plenty more things to come next year, so I’m excited.”

Hence, the pressure will be on Red Bull as 2024 approaches. But can the Adrian Newey-led team thwart the opposition, or will their rivals use Red Bull’s own advantage to beat them.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Max Verstappen Perry McCarthy Red Bull

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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