Max Verstappen secured another race win this season, extending his win tally for 2023 to five wins. It also keeps him just one victory away from equally Ayrton Senna’s personal win figure.
However, this feat by the 2x champion has angered many. Defending IndyCar champion Will Power has labeled F1’s competition a joke. He feels the series is nowhere as exciting as IndyCar, which has fantastic competition between teams.
The American claims it’s disheartening to watch Verstappen win every weekend. And the Dutchman wouldn’t have been able to do it provided every driver received equal machinery.
Will Power calls F1 a “Joke.”
The 2022 IndyCar champion Will Power believes it is lowering the image of F1, considered the pinnacle of motorsports. He told NBC Sports, “Formula One’s a joke regarding competition.”
Power believes F1’s talent will greatly benefit if the sport adopts a system like IndyCar. “They have amazing drivers. And I feel sorry for them that they don’t get to experience the satisfaction we do with our racing because that is the top level of open-wheel motorsport.”
In his criticism, Power further adds that races are becoming predictable, with Red Bull and Verstappen endlessly dominating. He claimed, “You simply know Max is going to win every race if something doesn’t go wrong.”
In the last 10 years, Indycar has seen over 10 new champions. In the same time frame, F1 has only seen four people securing the champion’s label. Former F1 drivers and junior drivers have asserted that racing in the American series is much closer than in F1.
While Powers argues that from a technological and financial standpoint, F1 is superior but lacks as a sport, if F1 changed to an IndyCar-like system, where all cars are equal, then even rookies could give Verstappen and Red Bull a run for the money.
If everyone had a Red Bull car, Max Verstappen would not win every race
Will Power believes there is plenty of talent in the F1 grid. If the sport gives every racer a car similar to the RB19, it will make the sport more appealing. And it could prevent Max Verstappen from sweeping every race.
Power commented, “If everyone had a Red Bull car, there’s no way that Max would win every race. Some so many guys would be winning races. It’d just be similar to IndyCar.”
He added, “There’s got to be a bunch of those guys that must just be frustrated. Think about Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Lando Norris, and Fernando Alonso. Those are some great drivers that don’t get a chance to even win. They’re just extracting the most out of the piece of equipment they have.”
F1 introduced its latest regulations in 2022 to improve the racing aspect of the sport. Mercedes’ 8-season-long domination between 2014-2021 prompted this change. Although the cars have gotten closer, it has not produced the expected results of jumbling up the field.
The sport is expected for another technological revamp in 2026. However, it is unlikely that Red Bull can be dethroned until then due to the technological progress made by the team.
The sport is growing and exploding in the US. If F1’s growing fanbase gets bored by Verstappen and Red Bull’s domination, it could impact the sport’s popularity.
