Max Verstappen has won his 15th race of the season, but is aware that the competition is getting closer and believes that Red Bull Racing’s focus on next year is contributing to this.
Highlights
‣ Max Verstappen has taken his 15th win this season but sees the competition approaching.
‣ Verstappen acknowledges that Red Bull Racing is already working on next year’s car.
‣ Verstappen had to fight hard during the United States Grand Prix, with a close competition with Lewis Hamilton.
‣ Red Bull Racing has reduced the number of updates this year and is already focused on the 2024 car.
Max Verstappen secured his 15th victory of the season at the United States Grand Prix, but he acknowledges that his competition is catching up. Verstappen believes this is expected as Red Bull Racing is already focusing on next year’s car.
Verstappen faced a tough challenge during the race as he had to aggressively overtake from sixth place, and brake problems added to the difficulty. Although Verstappen has been dominating the 2023 Formula 1 season, the gap between him and Lewis Hamilton was minimal in America.
During the press conference after the race, Verstappen commented on the competition getting closer, saying, “It’s been a while since our last update. But, at the moment, they’re catching. It’s going to be interesting to see where everyone is going to be next year at the first race…When you are the leading team, you have less wind tunnel time. And honestly, I think it’s correct. It’s fine. I think it’s good for the sport.”
Verstappen expressed his belief that despite the limited wind tunnel time, teams are still able to learn and prepare for next year’s challenges. Red Bull, in particular, is already shifting its focus to the 2024 car, allocating the least time in the wind tunnel among all teams.
The big question is whether Red Bull’s strategy of prioritizing next year’s car will give them another significant advantage in the upcoming season. Fans will eagerly anticipate the start of the new season to see how the competition unfolds.
In another news, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner explained why Verstappen and his performance engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will not be in direct contact until Friday, highlighting the importance of maintaining a strategic approach to maximize team efficiency.
