Max Verstappen, the Dutch driver for Red Bull Racing, showcased his dominance in the 2024 Formula 1 season at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. Despite his retirement in the previous race, Verstappen secured another victory, finishing a staggering 20 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in third place. With this win, Verstappen is well on his way to claiming his fourth consecutive Drivers’ title.
Toto Wolff, the Team Principal of Mercedes, acknowledged Verstappen’s superiority and admitted that catching up to him this year is highly unlikely. Red Bull has emerged as the leading force in Formula 1, winning almost every race since last season’s introduction of ground effect cars. Wolff praised Verstappen’s exceptional driving skills and the impressive performance of his car, particularly in managing the tires.
With the championship seemingly decided, the focus now shifts to the battle for second place. Wolff conceded that Verstappen’s lead is insurmountable and emphasized that the remaining races will determine who will claim the runner-up position. Mercedes, currently struggling in the Constructors’ standings, finished seventh and ninth in Suzuka. However, Wolff remains optimistic that the team can improve and challenge McLaren and Ferrari for second place, as they did in the previous season.
Despite the challenging circumstances, Wolff hopes that Mercedes can replicate their second-place finish from last year and narrow the gap to their competitors. The team is determined to make progress and elevate their performance in the remaining races of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
F1 experienced a significant surge in popularity in 2021 when Verstappen claimed his first championship title, leading to an intense battle between Red Bull and Mercedes that lasted until the final lap of the last race.
However, concerns have arisen that Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance on the podium in recent times could lead to a decline in interest from new fans.
Nevertheless, Wolff argues that it would be unfair to view his rival’s success as detrimental to F1. Instead, he believes it is the responsibility of Red Bull’s competitors to step up and provide a competitive challenge.
When asked how to maintain the audience’s engagement with 20 races still to go, Wolff responded, “I wouldn’t phrase it like that because the leaders are the deserving winners, and I believe we have seen the Ferraris come closer to them compared to previous races. I think we can be closer to the Ferraris than we have shown today.
“It is still exciting. I cannot accurately judge the race as I am focused on our cars’ split times, so I do not have a complete picture of what is happening out there.
“However, I believe there is a close competition between P3 and P2 at times, as well as P8.
“In that regard, there will be some action, and we need to push ourselves to deliver a better performance and ultimately challenge them.”