No matter where Formula 1 goes this season, there’s one thing that’s certain: the Dutch national anthem at the end of the race. Max Verstappen, the brilliant Dutchman, has shown only ultimate dominance this season. However, former Mercedes engineer Philipp Brändle believes the Dutch driver can still lose the title by the end of the season despite the gigantic lead.
With the latest win in Austria, Verstappen picked up his seventh win in nine races, whereas Red Bull picked up all nine. In doing so, the Red Bull driver built a huge gap in the driver’s championship.
But it can all go down to what Red Bull did back in 2021, which will prove monumental by the end of this season. And hence, there’s still no guarantee that Verstappen will take his third title home.
Philipp Brandle believes the cost cap penalty will hinder Max Verstappen
The former Mercedes engineer believes Red Bull is still disadvantaged over their cost cap penalty. As the Austrian team has already maximized their developments at the beginning of the season, they are expected to sit back and watch others catch them, believes Brandle.
And this is what gives the other teams and drivers such as Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton catch up to the two-time world champion.
Here is the amount of windtunnel time assigned to each team from 26th of June onwards.
Will the penalty incurred for the breach of the cost cap affect Red Bull? 👇#F1 pic.twitter.com/EtDI0vITjD
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) June 21, 2023
The Servus TV expert said ahead of the Austrian GP race weekend, as per Der Standard, “That’s why it’s not yet 100% certain that Max will become world champion. Not even the first half of the season is over. The mass has not yet been read.”
Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Ferrari have been bringing enough upgrades, but none has been consistent with the developments so far.
If not Verstappen, then Perez
Admittedly, the aerodynamicist also pointed out one more weakness the Milton-Keynes-based team has this season, and it is none other than Sergio Perez.
While Max Verstappen looks ever-dominant with 51 points lead over teams, Perez is still at risk of being taken despite having the mightiest RB-19 car on the grid. And this is what Brandle believes the rivals can target.
What a way to finish a perfect weekend @redbullracing 🏆
An absolutely amazing job by everyone in the team 💪
A big thank you goes out to everyone for joining us on the Red Bull Ring! Your support is seriously unmatched 👏🦁#AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/OtDDffn6WB
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) July 2, 2023
With the lead in the driver’s and constructors’ championships, Red Bull will look to seal both titles and 1-2 in the driver’s standings. However, if the Mexican fails to keep his place or misses out like last year, Helmut Marko or Christian Horner will certainly not be happy by the end of the 2023 F1 season.
