The 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix showcased Red Bull’s dominance, stirring concerns yet fueling hope for a competitive F1 season.
Yet, the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, marked by a Red Bull one-two finish, must have raised concerns for Liberty Media…
Hope springs eternal… but the competition has solid reasons for optimism too.
Firstly, Max Verstappen finished with a lead half as large as last year’s in Bahrain (over the first non-Red Bull car). Secondly, Ferrari and Mercedes encountered their share of issues (brake distribution for Charles Leclerc, cooling problem for Mercedes costing 0.5 seconds per lap). Finally, Red Bull had an advantage in the last stint with a fresh set of soft tires.
Therefore, Red Bull’s dominance might have been accentuated by circumstances: at least that’s what Christian Horner suggests, possibly not wanting to dismay the paddock just yet!
“One shouldn’t read too much into a single event, due to the circuit’s nature, temperature. Additionally, we had a fresh set of soft tires during the race.”
“We were surprised others didn’t do the same. This might have given a skewed perception of our advantage in the final stint.”
Commanding Season Start
“Regardless, it was a commanding display, and securing the maximum points was fantastic. I’m sorry the race wasn’t more entertaining for you, but it’s the outcome of the team’s work, producing an incredible car.”
“We’ve seen one race, and I feel the grid will close up this year. So, we can’t take for granted what happened in one race, on a specific surface, in specific conditions.”
“I’ve been in this business too long to draw too many conclusions from one race. It’s a fantastic start, and we’re enjoying this moment.”
“But it’s a long season, with many different venues, challenges, conditions. And what we saw in testing is that teams are closing up.”
“We did everything right this weekend. We chose the right tires for the race. We executed a perfect race with both cars and achieved an excellent result. But I believe things will converge.”
Wolff believes Red Bull is already untouchable
Christian Horner’s view is echoed by McLaren F1 drivers, who believe Red Bull is not necessarily in a league of its own.
However, some paddock insiders are much more pessimistic, starting with Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes F1.
“Max is not in a different league, but in a different galaxy.”
“Unfortunately, yes, they might win all the races. We just have to acknowledge that their performance level is indeed very high.”
Krack to fans: please don’t turn off your TV!
On social media, many fans, as pessimistic as Toto Wolff, have expressed their intention to turn off their TV screens and already wait for next year…
This, of course, worries the teams… which is why Mike Krack, the head of Aston Martin F1, urges fans to be patient.
“I can’t make a prediction just like that, but the fact is there are 24 races.”
“We saw last year, you can evolve, you can come back.”
“I wouldn’t say to turn off the television right now. I think everyone is going to give their best.”
“There are excellent teams around us, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see other teams catching up or making developments.”
The most obvious path to performance convergence would, of course, be for every team to emulate the new Red Bull concept, but it’s not that simple for Mike Krack…
“When you have a new car, you first have to look at yourselves, try to identify the areas for improvement, the areas you need to work on.”
“It’s only later that you look at what others are doing. What we have already seen in testing is that the Red Bulls are fast.”
“So it’s not a big surprise, as we have improved, but they have also improved.”
F1 Fans’ Pessimism: The Wait for Next Year Begins. F1 Fans’ Pessimism: The Wait for Next Year Begins
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