Why Formula 1’s “F2” teams are struggling to catch Red Bull
Rather than the Formula 1 pack closing up across the 2023 season, at times it has felt as if Red Bull is pulling further away at the front, as Max Verstappen’s crushing Hungarian Grand Prix victory demonstrated. With Red Bull seemingly in another league, here’s a delve into the factors at play giving it the edge and leaving the rest unable to catch up
In a Formula 1 season of complete domination like this, it would be all too easy for the team at the top to start getting a bit complacent about things and let details slip knowing that the wins come easy.
But Red Bull is not the kind of outfit that would let that happen. And, in fact, its run of success appears to be having the opposite effect in making it more focused than ever to not let the good times end. Chatting to team boss Christian Horner on the grid ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, it was almost as though the race was the very first opportunity he and the team had ever had to win a grand prix. “We’re going for it,” he boldly declared, as the team stood on the cusp of grabbing a record-breaking 12th consecutive Formula 1 victory to eclipse the feat of McLaren back in 1988.
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