Martin Brundle calls on teams to ‘get their act together’ and challenge Max Verstappen
It is more than just the driver behind a successful racing team.
Martin Brundle has called on rival teams to “put some pressure” on Max Verstappen next season but admits Formula 1 could be in for another two seasons of Red Bull dominance.
Setting the pace in Formula 1’s new ground-effect aerodynamic era, Red Bull have won all but six Grands Prix in the past two seasons.
Building on 2022’s championship success, the team romped to 21 victories in 22 races in 2023, 19 of which went to Verstappen in what was a record-breaking season for the Dutchman and his team.
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Worryingly for Red Bull’s rivals, there were very few signs of progress on their part despite the Milton Keynes squad bringing minimal upgrades to the track.
That led to Mercedes promising an all-new car with next year’s W15, Ferrari vowing to build on their late-season gains, and McLaren and Aston Martin both seeking another leap forward.
But will any of it be enough to challenge the triple World Champion?
Former F1 driver turned pundit Brundle hopes so, although he admits he does have a few doubts.
“That Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, all the rest, all the other nine teams get their act together and put some pressure on Max Verstappen,” he told Sky F1 of his dream for next season’s championship.
“They’ll be closer. I think we saw it through the season. When the regulations are static, it always happens. So let’s hope so.
“But, you know, the next big regulation change is in 2026 so it’s not out of the question that Red Bull could dominate this phase, including ’24 and ’25.
“But it’s up to the other teams to stop them.”
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His fellow pundit Naomi Schiff is also hoping next season there’ll be more competition.
“We don’t want to see one driver winning 19 of 22 races,” she said. “We want to see more different race winners, more teams in the mix for that top step of the podium, and just get more action on that top step.”
Although the top step of the podium was dominated by Red Bull in 2023, there were a total of 11 different drivers on the podium with every driver in the top 12 in the standings barring Lance Stroll recording at least one top-three result.
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