Red Bull has been utterly dominant so far this season as they have won all 10 races without much trouble. Reigning two-time drivers’ champion Max Verstappen has won eight of those races with his teammate Sergio Perez emerging victorious in the other two. And as Red Bull continues to dominate, the question is whether any team can stop them. While the likes of Aston Martin and Mercedes did pose a threat in the initial part of the season, it seems that the Milton Keynes-based outfit is in for a surprise in the coming races.
The team that has arguably made the most amount of improvement recently is McLaren. The Woking-based outfit gave Red Bull a run for their money this past weekend in Silverstone as Lando Norris and even Oscar Piastri to some extent, made life uncomfortable for Verstappen at the front. While Verstappen still managed to win the race, it seems that it wasn’t as smooth a race for Verstappen as we have gotten used to seeing.
Another team that has shown remarkable improvement recently is Williams. Alex Albon has led the staggering improvement that his team has made by grabbing 10 points in his last three races. With newer teams getting to the front, the likes of Aston Martin and Mercedes will be hoping that they themselves don’t fall back.
Lando Norris gave Max Verstappen a headache at Silverstone
Lando Norris produced a stunning performance for McLaren at the British Grand Prix this past weekend. He was mightily impressive through both qualifying and the main race. The 23-year-old kickstarted the weekend by qualifying on the front row next to pole-sitter Max Verstappen.
And then during the race, the Briton also overtook Verstappen at the start to grab the lead, shocking everyone in attendance and those watching from home. However, that lasted just four laps as the RB19’s superiority eventually caught up with Norris’ brilliance.
Even though McLaren just did not have the pace to fight the Red Bull, they have made a drastic improvements from the start of the season. In the early part of the year, they were struggling to score points. And now, both their cars fought for the podium places, with Piastri only narrowly missing out on a top three finish.
Although the McLaren were no match for the Red Bulls, their performance yet caught the eye of Christian Horner. While speaking to Sky Sports (as quoted by corrieredellosport.it), the Red Bull team principal said, “McLaren did very well on a particular track like Silverstone, taking us to the limit. We had to give our all to win“.
The fact that these remarks came from Horner, whose side has been unfazed so far, indicates that McLaren have made remarkable progress indeed. And many believe that the same has been possible because McLaren have allegedly copied Red Bull in some aspects with their recent upgrades.
McLaren refuse widespread rumors of copying Red Bull
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella dismissed all speculations of his team copying Red Bull by stating that his side has just taken inspiration from them. They remain firm on their stance that their design is their own. As quoted by ESPN, he said, “You do take inspiration from the other cars. But taking inspiration or even looking at the photo doesn’t mean that you copy the geometry,” he explained.
However, he did admit that McLaren got some help after they saw Red Bull’s floor design after Sergio Perez’s car was lifted up in Monaco. He then concluded his remarks by stating that teams can only gather insights from what others have done and that they still have to do their own job. Irrespective of what they have done, they now seem as the closest team that can challenge Red Bull.
