"If only Mercedes knew how to build a car" - Fans react to Max Verstappen's dominance leading to F1's plummeting social media numbers

F1 fans have blamed the Mercedes F1 team for their inability to build a competitive after Max Verstappen's dominance led to the sport's social media numbers plummeting.

In a report published by Buzz Radar, F1 has lost fans on social media as the interactions involving the sport have decreased in 2023 compared to the start of the 2022 season.

Last season, the sport's popularity was at an all-time high due to new regulations and experienced the hangover effect from the 2021 title fight between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

With Red Bull's dominance since the midseason of 2022 till now, the sport has struggled to get new fans in compared to the previous two seasons. F1 fans took to social media to react to these stats, with one fan blaming other teams like Mercedes for not building a fast enough car to challenge the Dutch driver.

"If only Mercedes knew how to build a car," the fan wrote.

Here are some more reactions:

Max Verstappen speaks on his dominance in the sport

The Red Bull driver is on the verge of becoming a three-time world champion in the upcoming weekend in Qatar. However, he has faced criticism for dominating the sport since the beginning of the 2022 season and has to fight claims that he has made F1 boring and predictable.

Speaking with the media, including RacingNews365, Max Verstappen hit back and said:

"Honestly, I have zero interest in that... we got beaten in a very clear way. I don't think about what is good for F1, I don't think it was necessarily bad, what was happening, we were just better than everyone else."

"If people can't appreciate that, you are not a real fan but this is how it goes. This is why I was super relaxed about it. We didn't perform and other people did a better job than us and deserved to win. They shouldn't win because people say it's boring that we are winning."

Speaking with PA, he had previously called fans and critics to appreciate his and Red Bull's achievements, adding:

“They cannot appreciate dominance or just people executing their jobs. It is nothing really new in Formula 1 and I cannot do much with those kinds of comments. Does it bother me? No. It would probably be worse if they were talking about other stuff. I am enjoying what I am doing and I hope I can do it for a while.

It's certainly unfair that Max Verstappen and Red Bull have been criticized as they have managed to produce one of the best cars in the history of the sport.