Max Verstappen has been the subject of widespread criticism for making Formula 1 boring due to his extreme dominance. However, former Red Bull driver Mark Webber believes that it is not Max Verstappen but the team’s chief designer Adrian Newey responsible for the Red Bull domination.
When Max Verstappen managed to pip Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP and win the World Championship, fans had hoped it was the end of F1 being dominated by one team. Little did they know that Red Bull would take over the domination from Mercedes and carry it on themselves.
2007: The Rematch 🥊
Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton would be fighting it out for the 2023 drivers’ title in an F1 universe without Red Bull Racing 👀
Who would your money be on? pic.twitter.com/c1v2BUospC
— Autosport (@autosport) July 15, 2023
The Milton-Keynes outfit won 17 out of the 22 races last season, and so far this season, they have won all ten races. Verstappen has already racked up so many points that he would be leading the Constructor’s Championship alone.
It would be a mistake to think that Red Bull is satisfied with their current pace, which is already in a different league altogether. The team is reportedly bringing in major upgrades at Hungary that are expected to improve lap times by two-tenths per lap.
The deadly combination of Max Verstappen and Adrian Newey
Appearing on ITV during the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Mark Webber spoke about how Verstappen and Newey make up a deadly combination. He believes that Red Bull wouldn’t have been able to do what they are doing now if neither wasn’t around.
Webber backed his claims by stating, “Adrian Newey [has] over 200 grand prix victories now as a designer.” Newey has created cars that won 23 championship titles – Drivers’ and Constructors’ combined.
The RB19 is yet another example of his supreme skills as a designer. Therefore, Webber claimed, “If Adrian wasn’t here, the Championship would be quite tight.”
This is quite true in a sense because teams like McLaren and Mercedes are trying their best to develop their cars and catch up to Red Bull. If not for Adrian Newey creating a rocket ship or a car, Red Bull would have been in trouble by now.
Red Bull standing strong in the face of tough competition
After McLaren shocked the F1 world with their scintillating performance at the British GP, it seems as though Red Bull might face some competition as the season progresses. The team that finished P17 and P20 in Bahrain finished P2 and P4 at Silverstone. There is hope that McLaren would improve even more if they can keep up their current rate of development.
Furthermore, Mercedes made major improvements to their cars during the Monaco GP, and they soon got the results in Spain and Canada. Even though they have not shown much promise in Britain, the Silver Arrows are moving in the right direction.
🚨 | BREAKING : Red Bull are bringing a major upgrade to Hungary
They are expected to be 2-TENTHS FASTER
There will be visible changes to the car pic.twitter.com/jqiHpiEHF7— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) July 16, 2023
Even Aston Martin showed great pace towards the start of the season. However, none of these teams have come close to the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. They will probably fall behind even further as Red Bull brings a major upgrade in Hungary.
