- With the new developments all through Formula One Verstappen has no upperhand
- Besides, Mercedes is in top shape compared to last season
- The Red Bull driver has two championship titles from 2021 and 2022
With the new developments throughout Formula One, Max Verstappen 2023 F1 championship title win seems highly impossible.
Already, the Red Bull driver has two championship titles from 2021 and 2022, but motorsports pundits argue a third win this season is a hard crack. Although his 2021 was in dispute, he came out in his best shape in 2022 to clinch the title. He is already garnering so much attention from fans on the tracks, and the pressure is slowly building up.
The Dutch driver is optimistic that he will make a third run for the championship title, but it is not all easy as it sounds. There will be a ton of difficulties in the 2023 F1 season, though. Ferrari and Mercedes may fiercely challenge Red Bull.
These two teams are the top contenders for the season and they put Max Verstappen 2023 F1 championship title win in limbo. Here are more reasons why Verstappen may not add a third title to his illustrious Formula One career.
Max Verstappen. Photo by Planet F1
IMPROVED DESIGN FOR FERRARI AND MERCEDES
If there was something that Red Bull beat Mercedes and Ferrari hands down in the 2022 season is scope of performance. The Red Bull racing car ticked all boxes unlike Mercedes which grappled with aerodynamic issues from the start.
Hamilton acknowledged that he disliked driving his Mercedes car throughout the 2022 season. He says he was sick and tired of the porpoising problems he experienced, particularly in the first half of the season. The engineering issues with this car denied him a championship title for the second year in a row.
The 37-year-old revealed there were times throughout the year when he did not love driving his car for competition. He captured all this in a series of images reflecting on the season alongside fellow Brit Russell. Hamilton had many frustrations because the car couldn’t do what he wanted when he needed it to perform. It bounced a lot (porpoise), an issue Mercedes engineers could solve quickly.
However, Mercedes engineers worked tirelessly throughout the year and tried to solve the problem. Besides, F1 new rules for 2023 called for weight reduction on these cars to solve the porpoising issue, and Red Bull can be sure Hamilton will go for an eighth championship. And this puts Max Verstappen 2023 F1 championship title win in disarray.
Similarly, Ferrari, a team whose performance was severely hindered by an unstable engine, has an obvious area for development. According to numerous accounts, Ferrari had to reduce the engine’s power by 20% to keep it running. If that power can be released, the time is free for a lap.
Ferrari and Mercedes are well-positioned to surpass Red Bull if we account for the additional development time. They might even perform better than the Christian Horner-led team.
COST CAP EFFECT REDUCED RED BULL’S DEVELOPMENT BUDGET BY 10%
This season, Red Bull has a difficult task ahead of them. With less time for growth this season because they won the championship the previous year, the team was already damaged. Even worse, the development time is further reduced by 10% due to the cost cap violation penalty.
Last season, Red Bull had the best car on the grid. The squad didn’t have a significant lead over Ferrari and Mercedes. The two teams could make the play and surpass Red Bull in the standings because the Austrian club was significantly at a disadvantage.
Max Verstappen second win. Photo by The SportsRush
At the moment, Max Verstappen may be the best driver on the field. You can’t surpass the equipment that much when the car is not strong enough to compete in the front, though. The Belgian-Dutch driver runs the possibility of having a subpar vehicle this season, which would make winning the championship unlikely.
NO TEAMMATE ACTIVELY SEEKING TO ASSIST MAX VERSTAPPEN
Nothing complicates Max Verstappen 2023 F1 championship title more than this. Verstappen will reflect on what transpired in Brazil last season and regret it. That day, the Red Bull driver did not present his best side to the public or, regrettably, to his teammates either.
Sergio Perez helped Verstappen win the championship in 2021. The Mexican did everything in his power to support Hamilton. It is reasonable to say that Perez would surprise everyone if he still went above and above for him after Verstappen refused to let Perez pass in Brazil.
Thin margins determine who wins championships, particularly competitive ones. It’s likely that Verstappen no longer has that particular advantage over his rivals.
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