Max Verstappen has been the top driver in the F1 world for the last four seasons, and according to Nate Saunders, Mercedes is the only team that has actually cracked the code that could bring the Dutchman down.
The F1 journalist believes that the Silver Arrows know that they must fight fire with fire to defeat Verstappen. “Other drivers and teams are now realizing ‘if I’ve got the car to do it, that’s not going to be enough against Max’,” he said on the ESPN Unlapped podcast.
Saunders went on to highlight how Zak Brown and McLaren too, tried playing mind games by throwing in words in front of the media. However, this attempt to get under Verstappen’s skin turned out to be unsuccessful, as Lando Norris‘ title charge ended with two race weekends remaining.
At the end of the day, the team that had gotten closest to Verstappen in recent years was Mercedes in 2021. While Lewis Hamilton narrowly—some would say unfairly—lost out on the Drivers’ Championship, the 27-year-old was given a proper run for his money.
But McLaren’s 2024 season was not all that bad. The Woking-based team won its first Constructors’ Championship since 1998, perhaps by taking full advantage of Red Bull’s on and off-track misery.
McLaren and Red Bull’s war of words
All the talking this season wasn’t just happening on the track. From day one, controversy surrounded the Red Bull camp, beginning with the ‘inappropriate behavior’ complaint against Christian Horner. This led Brown to reveal that he had received numerous CVs from employees of the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Red Bull then responded by pointing out McLaren’s mini-DRS exploit to the FIA, with the Woking-based team reporting a potential differential braking device on the RB20.
Norris even joined in, describing Verstappen’s outstanding Sao Paulo GP win as a matter of luck rather than talent. The #4 driver quickly backtracked on his statement at the FIA’s Prize Giving Ceremony earlier this week, but the stage is set for more verbal jabs if both teams field competitive cars again in 2025.
