Red Bull has been nothing but supremely dominant in the 2023 F1 season. Many experts give credit to the car built by the team. However, Helmut Marko has come out to reveal that it was not just the RB-19 behind such supremacy. The Red Bull advisor stated that Max Verstappen played an instrumental role in sculpting the dominance.
Marko told OE24 as per FormulaPassion, “I trust Max for this, and there is a good chance that he can win other championships we have a good car and a very motivated team, but the crucial point for this domination, and more and more people are starting to understand it, is the Max Verstappen factor.”
19 wins out of 22 races pic.twitter.com/a3Dsti7vMy
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) November 26, 2023
With this, he further added, “People speak badly of Sergio Perez, even though he is a top-level rider. He just has the misfortune that his teammate is the talent of the century.” Admittedly, Verstappen picked up 19 out of 21 wins of Red Bull, which in itself is a record.
Therefore, the Dutchman’s incredible run of victories made a fine driver like Sergio Perez look ordinary, believes Marko. Interestingly, Red Bull and Verstappen‘s reign is likely to continue in the future.
How Max Verstappen and Red Bull are slated to remain dominant in the future?
Red Bull and Adrian Newey nailed the new regulations in 2022 and as a result, Max Verstappen is bearing fruit. The Austrian team, in doing so, has come ahead in terms of development which will not be easy for rivals to close down.
While many teams were battling pace, reliability, and porpoising, Verstappen and Co. were miles ahead, ripping the opposition apart. Admittedly, the 26-year-old played a good part in making the Red Bull cars appear very good and this was not the first time the Red Bull advisor was full of praise for the star driver.
This is the perfect way to end our extraordinary season I’m extremely grateful for all of the hard work that’s gone into this year by each and everyone of you involved @redbullracing & @HondaRacingGLB To win 19 races in a season is just incredible It’s a privilege to be… pic.twitter.com/vOkhVPyD0k
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) November 26, 2023
However, the champions will not have it easy in 2024 as rivals begin to close down the gap. Teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes are working on massive upgrades to get as close as possible.
Nevertheless, Newey and his team will do their bit to make sure they remain dominant in the next season as well. Given how they have not upgraded their RB-19 after the summer break, it gives an idea about the massive developmental advantage they already have under their belt.
This also means that the Milton Keynes team has switched focus toward their 2024 challenger midway through this season. The RB-20 is rumored to be an evolution of the current concept. The team has hinted that they will look to find some lap time and get complacent.
