The 2020 season was all about Mercedes flaunting their hegemony on the grid. Their W11 amassed 13 wins out of the 17 races that season, which ended up being one of the most comprehensive title wins of all time. Yet, amidst Mercedes’s overpowering, Max Verstappen managed to knick three wins out for himself that season.
Many even claim that the 2020 Mercedes car was even the fastest ever. They won races in every situation; no adversary was big enough to limit them on the track.
The nearest competition to them was Verstappen; honestly, that year’s Red Bull was not even close. Yet, he managed to irritate the title winner Lewis Hamilton.
Eventually, Verstappen finished the season at P2, while his teammate Alex Albon struggled to keep up and finished P7 on the grid. But that year, whatever Red Bull achieved was because of Verstappen rather than the team calibre.
Max Verstappen’s 3rd pole lap: 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix pic.twitter.com/jxohxwBlYR
— Max Verstappen Pole Lap Everyday Until F1 Is Back (@MVPoleLaps) February 9, 2023
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Max Verstappen’s excellence made Red Bull go in the wrong direction
The 2020 season saw Verstappen finish with 214 points, only nine points less than Valtteri Bottas, who was back then with Mercedes. That shows how much Verstappen dragged his team. But at the same time, it took his team in the wrong direction, claims a Red Bull engineer.
“We know that sometimes, making a car on the edge in this way can create a quicker car. So we went in this direction and Max was extracting laptime from it and so we kept going in that direction,” said Pierre Wache.
He then empathized with Pierre Gasly and Albon, who got axed by Red Bull for not matching up with the Dutchman. He realized both drivers couldn’t get comfortable with the imperfections of the RB16.
The Abu Dhabi 2020 race changed Red Bull’s future
By the end of the season, Red Bull managed to develop massively. And at the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, while Silver Arrows were taking it lightly, the Milton-Keynes-based team was on a mission.
Verstappen got a pole position in qualifying, and he had a comprehensive win the following day. Red Bull looked faster than ever before that year, and it hinted that in 2021 they’d be stronger with an improved engine by Honda.
That’s what happened. Red Bull produced a car at par with Mercedes. Though the Silver Arrows had a slight edge, Red Bull gave all to their developments to remain competitive across the 2021 season. Eventually, that paid off, with Verstappen winning that year’s drivers’ championship.
Max Verstappen: “I don’t really think about where I am between all of the all-time greats in terms of championships or wins. I just want to do my job.” #F1 pic.twitter.com/wguCEP9yiA
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) February 13, 2023
The following things got even better for Red Bull. With new aero regulations, they managed to master the big change and dominated the entire grid. The way Mercedes dominated in 2020, Red Bull had a similar run last year.
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