Formula 1: Finally excitement again

In the past two years, the Formula 1 World Championship had already been decided by this time. Max Verstappen had already secured the title at the beginning of October, many races before the end of the season. The Grands Prix mostly went the same way: Verstappen started at the front, broke away from the other drivers early on and often crossed the finish line with a lead of more than 20 seconds. A dominance that elicited awe from many Formula 1 fans, but also the odd yawn. Last season, Verstappen won 19 of 22 races in the Red Bull, something no driver had ever achieved.

And at the beginning of this season everything looked as if it would continue like this: Verstappen won four of the first five races, and the world championship seemed to have already been decided in the spring. But then something happened: Verstappen and his car slowed down. He hasn’t won in nine races. This makes Formula 1 more exciting in the final phase of this season than it has been for decades.

The competitors, Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren, which have fought for the places behind Red Bull in recent years, are now at least on equal terms. This season, four teams have already won three or more races, the last time that happened was in 1977. And so a situation arose again that was once part of the sport’s attractiveness, but was recently in danger of being lost: it is no longer possible to determine the winner of the race predict the next race. Formula 1 expert Sascha Roos also says. “There are eight drivers who can win. That hasn’t been the case in recent years.”

Verstappen is currently still leading the world championship standings, but his lead is narrowing. There are 52 points for second place, Lando Norris from McLaren. Six races and three sprint races are still outstanding, with 25 and 8 points awarded per victory. “It’s enough for Max Verstappen to be out once, meaning he doesn’t score any points, and it will be tight for him,” says Roos.

The story of the new tension in Formula 1 is above all a story of Red Bull’s crisis. The car has many problems. It’s no longer fast enough on the straights and it often breaks out in the corners. The balance is missing, the front and rear parts of the car are poorly coordinated, so the drivers can control the car less well. In addition, Red Bull’s tires wear out faster than other teams.

In the last two years, the team was superior to the others because they had the best base. To build a fast car, you need as much as possible downforcei.e. contact pressure. The more the car is pressed onto the road, the faster it goes. Until 2022, this pressure was generated primarily with the front and rear wings of the car. However, the International Motorsport Association FIA introduced new regulations for the 2022 season. Since then, the airflow is directed under the car, and the underbody is responsible for pressing the car onto the road.

Red Bull has long understood this concept best. If the car is pushed too hard on the road, it will hit and bounce off. This causes it to bounce and slow down. This season, however, Red Bull has reached the limit of how close their car can drive to the ground without touching down. The subfloor is developed. MercedesMcLaren and Ferrari have caught up, even caught up.

Red Bull’s crisis also has to do with personnel. Adrian Newey was the racing team’s chief designer for a long time. He has been working in Formula 1 since the 1980s and is considered the most successful car designer in the history of the series. Newey won 13 driver championships and twelve team championships with three different teams.