Max Verstappen Aims Huge Dig at Red Bull’s Rivals For Lack of Originality By Joining ‘Copying’ Bandwagon

Vidit Dhawan
|Published 14/03/2023

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen has taken a massive dig at Red Bull Racing’s rivals by joining his teammates in calling out other sides for ‘copying’ their design.

The Dutchman believes that the gap between teams has reduced recently as most sides have become ‘smarter’ in taking insights from the team that are performing well. Hence, he believes it is only natural for the field to close up.

Verstappen made these remarks a week after Red Bull Racing’s team principal Christian Horner, advisor Helmut Marko and his teammate, Sergio Perez, took a direct dig at Aston Martin for ‘imitating’ the RB18 (2022 car).

‘They all copied each other’: Max Verstappen

The F1 2023 season opener in Bahrain witnessed an extremely tight grid as all the drivers in Q1 were separated by less than 1.2 seconds. When asked to speak about his thoughts on seeing the F1 grid close up, Max Verstappen replied (as quoted by motorsport.com), “It’s not really a surprise”.

The Dutchman explained his point by stating that if someone were to look at the 2023 cars, they would find that ‘they all copied each other’. He added that teams are becoming ‘smarter’ over the years, with the regulations staying almost the same.

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While most of the Red Bull Racing team has justified the field getting closer because of ‘copying,’ it is pertinent to note that the cost cap has also played a significant role. With the gap in spending reduced between the top teams and the rest, the smaller sides have closed down the gap significantly this season.

Also Read: Max Verstappen’s Performance Coach Once Revealed Red Bull Champion’s Expertise in a Sport Different to F1

Red Bull Racing takes a dig at Aston Martin for copying RB18

While Red Bull Racing continued their dominance from last year by securing an outstanding 1-2 at the Bahrain Grand Prix, one team that significantly improved from last year was Aston Martin.

After finishing seventh in the Constructors’ Championship last year, Aston Martin seems to have built a car that is capable of fighting at the top.

The same was evident with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finishing the Bahrain GP in third place, just behind the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

After watching Aston Martin’s staggering improvement, Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, and Sergio Perez could not resist taking a dig at them.

All three stated after the race how they were delighted to see three Red Bulls finish on the podium. Meanwhile, Horner added that he was happy to see the ‘old car do so well’ as ‘imitation is the best form of flattery’.

Also Read: Red Bull Boss Helmut Marko Gives Scathing Verdict on Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck De Vries’ F1 Futures

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About the author

Vidit Dhawan

Vidit Dhawan is an F1 writer at The SportsRush. He fell in love with the sport at first sight when F1 visited India in 2011. The noise and the racing action from lights out and away we go to the chequered flag are what keeps him at the edge of his seat at all times. Vidit has been a lifelong Fernando Alonso fan and sees Charles Leclerc as the future of the sport. Other than F1, he also follows football and tennis closely.