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Red Bull team boss Christian Horner addressed discussions about Max Verstappen's dominance making the sport boring.
The Dutchman has been obliterating the entire F1 grid for more than two years now. Since the FIA introduced new technical regulations for F1 cars in 2022, Red Bull has been ahead of the curve in developing some of the most dominant F1 cars. Furthermore, Verstappen became even more lethal on the track after an intense title battle with Lewis Hamilton in the infamous 2021 F1 season.
This combination allowed Red Bull and Verstappen to enjoy a lot of success in the 2022 and 2023 F1 seasons. 2023 was the best season for the duo since the team won 21 out of 22 races, while the Dutchman won 19 of them himself.
This did not bode well for the sport itself since fans already knew who would win most of the races in a season. The audience has been craving a wheel-to-wheel battle for a race win for quite some time now.
Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, Horner initially stated that F1 fans should appreciate what Verstappen was achieving in the sport.
However, Horner also pointed out that the three-time world champion's success cannot last for long, as the sport has witnessed with other great drivers in the past. Horner added that there was no guarantee that Red Bull would be able to keep offering Verstappen a dominant car year after year. He said:
"I think that you have to appreciate success, and Max is a special talent. It's a golden moment, you know, for him, and you know, as we've seen with every single driver, it doesn't last forever".
Horner added:
"I think it's [about] enjoying the moment, being in the moment. And you know, there's no guarantee that we'll be able to give him a car like this every year for the next five years. So it's doing what you can, you know, while you can".
Former Mercedes driver voices concerns over Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominance in 2024
Former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas recently talked about how Max Verstappen and Red Bull's dominance in 2024 could affect the sport's audience.
As quoted by Motorsportweek after the Saudi Arabian GP, Bottas stated how the defending world champions were able to win the first two races of the 2024 F1 season and that 2024 could be quite similar to 2023, where Red Bull and Verstappen dominated as well. The 34-year-old Finn said:
“It’s been quite a clean sweep for the last two races for Red Bull and Max, so it’s a bit concerning. Obviously, it doesn’t change our focus and our battles on track but for the whole wide world, it could be a bit like last year. But let’s hope things change during the year".
As of now, Verstappen has won four of the first five races in the 2024 F1 season. The only race he did not win was the Australian GP, where he had to retire the car due to brake failure.
