According to ex-Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul, Red Bull have managed to dominate the sport in an era where the competition is fiercer than ever seen before. Thus, making their current domination even more profound than that of Ferrari alongside Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s. However, Red Bull’s current domination all boils down to their talisman, Max Verstappen.
While comparing the dominance of Ferrari and Red Bull, Abiteboul told FranceInfo (as quoted by F1Maximaal.nl), “They [Red Bull] dominate in a sport where others are now not weak.” In the modern era of the sport, the difference between the top and the bottom teams is merely a second in terms of out-and-out pace.
Max Verstappen & Michael Schumacher are now the only drivers in F1 history to have two 5+ race win streaks in the same season. There’s levels to this pic.twitter.com/iMwb7Weh15
— RedBull PowerUnit (@RedBullPU1) November 6, 2023
This has become possible because of some very targeted regulations such as the cost cap to level the playing field. Hence, this makes Red Bulls’ domination even more commendable. While the RB19 was a supremely fast car, Abiteboul believes it was tailor-made to Verstappen’s preferences.
The Frenchman compared Sergio Perez‘s season against Verstappen’s to conclude, “He [Sergio Perez] did his best, but he suffered from the fact that Max has a very specific driving style, with a car with a very light rear axle. There is no doubt that it is Verstappen’s car and that it was designed for him. He is pampered in this team.”
However, Abiteboul did admit that Verstappen is an exceptional talent who has “the upper hand psychologically,” over his rivals. Since Red Bull’s current domination is being compared to Ferrari’s in the early 2000s, many are also comparing Verstappen to the legendary Schumacher.
How is Max Verstappen similar to Michael Schumacher?
Max Verstappen wrapped up his third consecutive world title this year at the age of 26. Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher could only get his hands on his third aged 31. But this gap of five years is all that separates the two according to ex-Ferrari manager Joan Villadelprat.
Villadelprat told PlanetF1.com, “I see a lot of similarities between Michael and Max.” Villadelprat then explained his point by adding, “First of all, you need to have the natural ability and that’s Michael and Max. They have the natural ability”.
Most F1 wins after 184 race starts:
1. Michael Schumacher – 67
2. Max Verstappen – 53
3. Lewis Hamilton – 49
t4. Sebastian Vettel – 45
t4. Alain Prost – 45Only Schumacher has gotten off to a better start than Verstappen, who made and won his 184th race start in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/gJBYKZE0fY
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) November 22, 2023
Although Schumacher suffered from reliability issues during his days with Benetton, he yet managed to register sensational results. Moreover, he would have also had a lot more wins, if not were not for the problems. On the other hand, consistency has been key for Verstappen in 2023 in his pursuit of breaking records.
And that’s mostly because of how reliable the RB19 has been. Despite what the record books will reflect at the end of the day, the sheer racing genius of Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen will distinguish them as two of the greatest drivers who ever stepped foot in F1.
