Could Verstappen's Success Hurt F1's Popularity

Could Verstappen’s Success Hurt F1’s Popularity?

29/01/2024

Mark Gallagher warns of potential issues with Max Verstappen’s F1 dominance. He fears new fans might lose interest if Red Bull’s supremacy continues, especially with “Drive to Survive” portraying balance.

Gallagher, a Formula 1 business expert, believes Max Verstappen‘s dominance could pose problems. The former Jordan team’s press officer thinks that new fans might find Formula 1 uninteresting if Red Bull Racing’s driver continues to dominate. According to Gallagher, this is partly due to the Netflix series “Drive to Survive,” which aims to show a level playing field.

Last year, Verstappen experienced the most dominant season ever by a single driver. The Red Bull driver won nineteen out of twenty-two races, securing his third consecutive world title. Currently, Formula 1 fans are awaiting the presentations of the cars and the test days scheduled for late February in Bahrain. Coinciding with these test days, the new season of Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” will be released.

The series has brought many new fans to the sport, but Gallagher warns that Formula 1 might lose these fans. The former F1 journalist notes that the series strives to feature every team and demonstrate that Formula 1 is indeed a highly competitive sport. “But then you go to an actual race, and Max Verstappen wins, and Red Bull completely dominates,” Gallagher remarks on the Flat Chat podcast.

The old guard will remain connected to F1.

“So you have a sport that has presented itself as an equal playing field, but in reality, it’s about technical meritocracy,” continues the Formula 1 expert. Red Bull and Verstappen have been dominating the sport since the 2022 season. Ferrari was competitive initially, but after the winter break, and into 2023, Red Bull’s lead has only grown. “I think this dominance is a big problem for Formula 1. It’s brilliant for Red Bull, as we’re talking about nineteen wins for Max in a season.”

Red Bull and Verstappen’s dominance have led to the erasure of several records from the history books. Fans who witnessed McLaren dominate Formula 1 in 1988 understand how the sport works and will thus continue to watch loyally, according to Gallagher. “While the fans who might have joined in the past two years may suddenly find it not interesting enough to watch all the races,” concludes the Northern Irishman.

Could Verstappen’s Success Hurt F1’s Popularity?. Could Verstappen’s Success Hurt F1’s Popularity?

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