The Hungarian Grand Prix described the 2023 season’s past and future in a nutshell. We’re lulled into a sense that the grid is closing in on Max Verstappen prior to the race, and then boom, the lights go out and within three corners, reality bites.
Personally, I thought the 2023 Formula 1 Championship was already over after Melbourne. With twelve races on the bounce for Red Bull, of which nine belong to Max, I think I was right. We don’t need mathematics anymore to confirm the blatantly obvious. Can they be beaten, of course, but then pigs can also fly, can’t they?
It’s not the first time a team and driver have dominated this way, but despite Red Bull’s best efforts to persuade us otherwise, there appears to be no end in sight. Do not be fooled by McLaren’s renaissance either, sure, they leap-frogged the rest of the grid, but like Mercedes, they’re nowhere near “The Bulls” in the race.
Top management
I have to congratulate Christian Horner et al. Maintaining a Team’s level of momentum and performance when you have such a superior car is not as easy. The temptation for people to take their foot off the gas must be huge when they are in such a comfortable position. A pit-stop time of 1.98 seconds for Sergio Perez last weekend bares testimony that they are all razor-focused.
Behind you
I also have to salute Horner’s stage management skills. You have a car that is so utterly further ahead than any other on the grid, how do you avoid not being a victim of your own success?
Remember the Williams FW14B! Simple, you make it look like the speed is primarily derived from your number one driver. You do this by showcasing the number two teammate starting to struggle to produce the same result with the same material. This suggests the grid is closing in on the car’s engineering advantage and that the bulk of the pace is derived from your number one driver.
Then you fan the flames of misdirection with a few “Who will replace the number two, he’s not performing?” innuendos. Finally, you begin to look awkward in Free Practice and, eventually, get pipped for pole in qualifying.
Chillaxed
No matter how close everyone appeared to be in qualifying pace, once the race started, Max inexorably edged further and further into the distance.
Unfortunately, his thespian skills do not match those of his driving. He tries to say he’s struggling a bit with the grip over the radio but then puts in a lap on old tyres that is a second faster than anyone else!
His final comment of the race before the end was gold. “Hey Max, everything ok, we haven’t heard from you for a bit?”. His reply “Yeah… (yawn)… everything fine here.”
This was the verbal equivalent of kicking the front tyres and giving a thumbs up. The clue is in the tone of his voice, he sounds like he’s trying hard not to laugh. For him, with his ability, securing victory over the other drivers with the RB19 is like competing in an F2 race with an F1 car.
Good, all at the same time, everywhere
We frequently hear the different F1 teams talk about tracks that are good or bad for their car. That’s something we don’t get from Red Bull. It doesn’t seem to matter what type of track they’re at or the conditions, it’s faster than anyone else.
Without a doubt, so far this season, we have never seen the true pace of the RB19 consistently displayed. Max rarely has to drive it at nine-tenths, and most of the time in the race, post lap three, I think he’s at about eight-tenths, together with the Power Unit setting.
Hopes spring is… Dry
It’s Spa this weekend, and whether it rains or shines, as long as the RB19 doesn’t break, Max will be on the top step at the end of the race. A friend of mine made the not-unreasonable observation that the race trophies in Hungary looked like funeral urns. I think he’s right.
They contained the collective ashes of any “hope” the rest of the grid had at winning the F1 Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championships this year!