BARCELONA, Spain — What a difference a year can make in Formula 1. Yes, Max Verstappen is still on his way to a new world title – it will be the Dutchman’s fourth in a row, unless Red Bull implodes. But it is no longer a foregone conclusion that Verstappen will dominate the competition and, let’s face it, it bores many fans who would at least like to make him sweat.
formula 1 Instead, this summer has seen a meltdown as Red Bull’s speed advantage has evaporated thanks to massive improvements from more than one rival.
The four cars that pass through Mercedes And McLaren have become a threat to Verstappen, while FerrariThe Prancing Horses are there too. That has produced excitingly unpredictable races like Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix where Verstappen finished fourth.
A week earlier, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris made a one-two in Budapestwhile Verstappen finished fifth. The seven winners in 13 races after the Hungarian GP had already made this season the most competitive since 2012.
“It’s amazing. It’s really fantastic, I think, that the sport has such close-knit teams and drivers,” said Lewis hamiltonwho was declared winner in Belgium after Mercedes teammate George Russell was disqualified for being underweight.
“The pedigree of the top riders today is truly elite and astonishing,” said the former seven-time world champion.
Lost advantage
Last year Verstappen recorded a eighth win in a row by finishing first at the Belgian GP and going into the summer break with a 125-point lead over teammate Sergio Perez. Verstappen would make it an F1 record 10 wins in a row and 19 wins in 22 races for the season. He won 15 races in 2022.
Verstappen looked set for another title run this year after winning four of the first five races. But he has since taken just three wins from the last nine grands prix and went four consecutive races without a win for the first time since 2020, before becoming F1’s dominant force.
This time, Verstappen goes into the summer break with a 78-point lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris, with 10 races to go. The season starts on August 25 at the Dutch GP.
“We are looking forward to the summer break and some time to relax, but at the same time we are determined to get better and faster and try to find solutions for the rest of the season,” Verstappen said after the race in Spa.
“We’ve had a great start to the season, our last few races have been a bit more difficult, but we’ve worked hard to find a solution how we can do that,” Verstappen said. “The next race is obviously my home race in Zandvoort. It’s going to be a tough battle and it’s all about tyre management, but it’s going to be great to be back in front of my home crowd.”
Multiple threats
Mercedes go into the break on a high with three wins from the last four races. Hamilton broke a long dry spell dating back to 2021 when he won the British GP in early July. George Russell followed that up with victory in Austria. They thought they had a one-two in Belgium before Russell was disqualified.
This allowed Hamilton, who will drive for Ferrari next season, to increase his record number of victories to 105 Grand Prix titles.
“We didn’t expect to be competing with the McLarens or the Red Bulls at this point in the season, you know, with how we started,” Hamilton said. “So for us to be locked down now and be, it’s definitely going to be a hell of a second half of the season.”
McLaren has been seen as Verstappen’s biggest rival since Norris took his first F1 win in Miami in May. Since then, the two papaya cars have finished second five times, in addition to their double victory in Hungary.
More good things are expected from the British outfit in the autumn, as McLaren challenges Red Bull for the constructors’ title, with the Austrian team holding a lead of just 408-366 points. That’s because of Pérez’s poor performances, which have fuelled speculation that he could be replaced despite his recent contract extension.
Ferrari is also expected to remain in the mix. Carlos Sainz, who is seeking a new seat for 2025, and Charles Leclerc have won races this season, even if they have taken a step back from the other three leading teams.
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