Verstappen and Red Bull dominate the F1 season. Is a new era coming?

Formula 1’s decision to award full points for the Japanese Grand Prix race caused a complete confusion among journalists and even in the Red Bull team, who thought that the drivers would not get full points in 28 laps, and Max Verstappen’s championship was postponed. . Despite Verstappen’s chaos and bewilderment during the ceremony, the Red Bull driver fully deserved the title. Unlike last season, there are no questions for the driver and the Bulls.

Let’s see if Red Bull and Verstappen manage to be as dominant as Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton have been in recent seasons, but in 2022 Max is dominating in a way that Lewis will envy. With four races left in the season, Verstappen has not only secured the title, but is also breaking the record for most title wins. Now the Dutchman has 12 wins, and the record for wins in one season belongs to Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel – 13 wins each. It’s clear that there is a gap in the number of Grands Prix in a year, but even in his best years, Hamilton hasn’t had more than 11 wins in a season.

And I must say that starting the current championship with a completely new technical arrangement does not guarantee anything for Max. In the first three stages, Verstappen missed the finish line twice due to technical problems, and Charles Leclerc quickly made a 46-point lead. But as soon as Red Bull understood the reliability of the car and Verstappen got used to the new cars, the advantage became apparent. Particularly strong for Max was the summer-autumn phase, where he won 5 consecutive Grand Prix, including 10th in Hungary and 14th in Belgium. With the remaining four races, the driver can win them all and break the record.

In addition, it is worth noting Ferrari’s unsuccessful season. Yes, the Scuderia has improved its position compared to last year, but all the mistakes of the Italian team were clearly visible in the background, where Ferrari was really able to fight for victories and titles. The first part of the championship was marked by numerous Ferrari technical problems that seriously affected the chances of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Added problems with strategy and tactics to malfunctions of engines and other systems. Against this background, Red Bull made an excellent strategic move where it completely outstripped Ferrari. The Bulls have more than won the Constructors’ Championship, which the team is likely to win at the US Grand Prix.

But even with such an advantage, Verstappen’s performance must be set apart. The pilot quickly got used to the new fireballs. These are really different cars and all drivers note how difficult it is to adapt to the heavier and slower cars that are so different from recent seasons. Using the examples of Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton (a 7-time champion, only the third time in his career can be beaten by a partner), we see that it is not so easy to get used to new technology. In fact, Ricciardo is generally failing the season and risks ending up in Formula 1. Verstappen proved to be a flexible driver who can be fast in any car. Charles Leclerc had a good title overall, but made too many mistakes and didn’t take retirements into account due to the car’s failure. It’s unlikely that Charles will really fight for the title even on the most ideal drive, but Ferrari could delay Verstappen’s Mexican or Brazilian title.

As for the new season, it is still too early to draw conclusions. We remember that new technical regulations often start another team’s era of domination. Red Bull dominated from 2010 to 2013, followed by the Mercedes era. Is the Red Bull and Verstappen era starting? Given the spending limit, Ferrari and Mercedes have every chance to avoid it, but now the Bulls have objectively the strongest car and best driver in the championship.