Red Bull might have the upper hand in the F1 2024 standings, but recent races indicate that Formula 1 is turning into a ‘rat race’ with significant fluctuations anticipated. McLaren fired the first shot in this year’s development battle during the Miami GP, putting their revamped MCL38 on track, which led to Lando Norris clinching his first grand prix win by seven seconds over Max Verstappen.
Reigning World Champion Verstappen bounced back in Imola, barely securing victory with Norris close at his heels, separated by less than a second at the finish line. However, Ferrari took center stage next, with Charles Leclerc taking the win in his upgraded SF-24, followed by Norris and Carlos Sainz. Meanwhile, Verstappen finished a disappointing P6 due to his RB20 struggling with the street circuit’s bumps and kerbs.
This marked Red Bull’s third loss of the season, a stark contrast to their singular defeat in 22 races last year. Ferrari has two wins under its belt now, with Leclerc trailing Verstappen by just 31 points in the Drivers’ Championship.
Despite these shifts, NOS F1 pundit Louis Dekker is cautious about a Ferrari title challenge. ‘I don’t think so, but never say never,’ Dekker remarked. ‘You could also turn it around: Red Bull has already lost three this year, that didn’t happen last year. So something is changing. But from now on it will just be a rat race with upgrades. From now on, every update can change a P5 into a P1. However, they [Red Bull’s rivals] are still afraid that Red Bull have a few circuits where the RB20 will go well. Barcelona, for example, a one-two [result] will be a piece of cake.’
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella shares a similar sentiment, uncertain about Red Bull’s true competitiveness. ‘I think the picture of competitiveness for Red Bull is not entirely clear to me,’ Stella commented. ‘Exactly what is going on with Red Bull, I’m not so sure. I think we need a few more races to find out. Obviously, we go to the next one in Canada, which is another one which is very demanding on kerbs and bumps. And then I think some tracks after Canada will tell us more about the competitiveness situation.’
On the other hand, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur believes that Red Bull’s dominance has been noticeably challenged by both Ferrari and McLaren. ‘I think last year they had a very decent gap,’ Vasseur noted. ‘Sometimes we are able to fight with them in qualy but in the race it was four or five tenths. That means that when you are four or five tenths off you are not really at risk. Even if you miss in qualy, like in Jeddah Max started P9 but after three laps he was leading. But this season, it’s not the case anymore. It’s not the case with just us, but it’s not the case between Red Bull and McLaren because McLaren are even closer.’
As F1 2024 progresses, the anticipated ‘rat race’ with upgrades is likely to keep fans on the edge of their seats. Red Bull’s rivals are closing in, but it’s still anyone’s guess whether they can fully dethrone the reigning champions. The coming races, starting with Canada, are expected to shed more light on this developing competition.
Source: Planetf1
