Formula 1 (F1), its cars launched at full speed on circuits all over the world, its wars between drivers in each team and its boss named Max Verstappen. This is how F1 could have been summed up on the evening of June 23, 2024 when the Dutchman won in Barcelona (Spain), at the wheel of his Red Bull, his seventh Grand Prix of the season, after ten races. The question was not whether he would win a fourth consecutive world champion title, but rather how to make room above his helmet to place a new crown there.
Before the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday 22 September at 2pm, King Verstappen is far from being deposed, but his throne is increasingly reminiscent of an ejection seat. Since his victory in Barcelona, the Dutchman is no longer at the wheel of the most dominant car in the paddock and has to settle for places of honour. Last weekend, in Baku (Azerbaijan), he again finished far from the mark, only securing fifth place thanks to the pileup between teammate Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) on the last lap.
“The race was very bad again. We had no speed and my car is very difficult to drive”summed up Max Verstappen after the race, this time sparing his work tool the description of ” monster “ as he had been able to do the previous weekend. Beyond the words, the observation remains: his lead is melting away. With seven races to go in the season, he is only fifty-nine points ahead of his runner-up, the Briton Lando Norris (McLaren) – a victory worth twenty-five points.
“We are reaching the extreme limits of F1 design. If you don’t evolve your car, you get overtaken by your opponents, but if you make a mistake in the design, you can also regress.explains Julien Fébreau, the Formula 1 commentator on Canal+. Red Bull made a bit of a mistake and needs to reverse course. The same thing happened to Ferrari and Mercedes in recent months.”
Competition shares victories
While the placid Max Verstappen remains the leader of his team, he has had to deal with a team divided since the affairs at the start of the season, notably the internal investigation against its director, Christian Horner, for “inappropriate behaviour”. He was finally cleared. “It doesn’t explain all of Red Bull’s poor form, but nothing is neutral in high-level sport.judge Julien Fébreau. When one parameter deteriorates, the others follow. The team is less strong on the track, and suddenly is also in pit stops, for example.
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