The last couple of years in Formula 1 have either been a triumph of precision engineering and superb driving by Red Bull, or a boring procession. But are things starting to change?
In 2022, Red Bull won 17 out of 22 races, while last year they won all but one of them. Of the races won by anyone else in those two years, all but one was by a Ferrari driver.
However, in 2024, while Red Bull still leads the way, things appear to be a little more competitive. Red Bull have six wins from nine, with two for Ferrari and one for McLaren Mercedes.
This begs the question: is the gap starting to close? Of course, it could hardly be bigger than it was last year. But there have been some notable dips, such as Max Verstappen only finishing sixth in Monaco as Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc owned the race from start to finish on the narrow Monte Carlo streets.
Of course, each race brings a different set of circumstances and Verstappen’s victory amid the mayhem of a rain-soaked Montreal circuit has pushed him well clear at the top. But his dead heat in practice with George Russell’s Mercedes was the talk of the town and shows that outside of the chaos and crashes, Red Bull can be caught.
A key question is whether the gap will be closed by technical expertise or whether Red Bull will be undermined by internal issues, a pertinent question following the controversy over allegations against Christian Horner.
Others might argue these things go in cycles and history would certainly back that up; a glance at the list of Constructors’ Championship winners shows That Red Bull won four in succession between 2010 and 2013, then spent the next eight seasons on the outside looking in as Mercedes swept all before them.
Ferrari will hope they are next for a return to former glories. Between 1999 and 2008 they won seven out of nine Constructor’s championships, yet none since. It is a reminder that even the most dominant of teams cannot take the future for granted.