Can Red Bull Continue the 2023 Dominance into the Upcoming F1 Season?

Red Bull Racing, as we all know, won the 2023 championship in unprecedented fashion. The Austrian team won 21 races in a 22-race season. Had there been more races, they could’ve extended this record. The chief credits go to one man for this total and utter domination in the season, Max Verstappen. Out of the 21 race wins by Red Bull, the Dutchman single-handedly secured 19 of them, which was another record. He broke the race wins record in a single season by one driver in 2022 as well with 15 wins. Many wondered if he would be able to maintain the high levels in 2023. Well, we have our answer! However, can they do it again in 2024?

Many believe, or at least want to, that the Austrian team won’t be as powerful as they were in 2023. Many believe with the season heading into the third year of the current regulations, the grid will even out. However, there are a few factors we need to consider before making this assessment, which both speak for this understanding and against it. In this piece, we will highlight these circumstances and express our perspective on the question, “Can Red Bull continue the 2023 dominance into the upcoming F1 season?” which will be separate from general opinion.

Can Red Bull continue its record-breaking dominance in 2024?

Well, if it were up to Red Bull, they would like nothing more. No team that is on the winning side cares about the greater good of the sport or wonders if it’s entertaining enough for the fans, which Verstappen proved with his statement in the past. So if it were up to Red Bull, they would maintain their superiority for as long as they can. However, is it practically possible?

Well, the correct interpretation of the new technical regulations introduced in 2022 gave Red Bull a massive boost and a strong foundation. With the RB18 better than the rest, they took charge of the 2022 season and secured the championship well in advance. This gave the team back in Milton Keynes enough time to work on RB19 and even the cost cap breach reduced wind tunnel time penalty did not affect them because they could relocate their developmental funds and time from RB18 to RB19.

Now, looking into the future, thanks to the same foundation and RB19’s superiority, they are repeating the cycle with the creation of RB20. In preparation for the 2024 season’s challenger, the team back in Milton Keynes stopped working on the RB19 sometime in August. From August till March, the Red Bull engineers, under the capable leadership of Adrian Newey, will be working on the 2024 challenger. To make this aspect more worrisome for the rest of the grid, some reports suggest the RB20 will be more powerful than its predecessor.

Former driver and team owner Gian Carlo Minardi also admitted the same to Gazzetta. He said, “They have an advantage that I think is difficult to fill at the moment. Because by carefully analyzing the 2023 races I got the idea that Verstappen has never allowed us to see the maximum of his possibilities. And this doesn’t give us much hope. And then I get news from England that their 2024 car is even better.” (Translated via Google)

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We have to agree with Mr. Minardi here when he says Verstappen has not been pushed to the limit because he was leading most of the races most of the time. So when push comes to shove, we’re not sure what beast we will see in the 2024 season.

However, RB20 being more powerful is still relative to only RB19, but we think some other teams can pose a threat.

Can the other teams on the grid close the gap to Red Bull?

With the expectation of Red Bull, the 2023 season was perhaps the most competitive in a long time. We saw four teams compete with each other in different stints of the season, namely Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and McLaren.

McLaren was perhaps the biggest surprise in the second half, whereas Aston Martin was the surprise at the start. Mercedes made headway after the concept change and Ferrari pushed the Brackley outfit right till the very end with their new upgrade after the summer break. Let’s look at what each team needs to do or is doing to close the gap to Red Bull. So we believe even if RB20 would be powerful, these teams can still close the gap with a relatively bigger jump in terms of development.

Aston Martin

The Silverstone-based outfit is making big moves for 2026. However, to see immediate results in the next season, they need to revert to the original developmental path that they were deterred from in the middle of the season. The British team finished the season on a high and this is exactly the path they need to continue to be as close, or closer, to Red Bull as they were at the start of 2023.

Ferrari

Thanks to the smart racing from Carlos Sainz in Singapore, the Italian team managed to snatch a win away from Red Bull to break their 100% record in the season. The second half from Ferrari was extremely positive and we’re sure highly motivating for the team back in Maranello. Charles Leclerc also revealed the team has a good understanding of the car and the 2024 challenger will be completely different from SF-23, another step in the right direction.

McLaren

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season was McLaren’s insane jump to the front when their three-part upgrade was introduced in Austria, Britain, and Hungary. The upgrade put the McLaren men right at the top and put them second on the grid hierarchy behind Red Bull. The upgrades showcased the talents of both the drivers as well, especially rookie Oscar Piastri. McLaren, just like Aston Martin, also needs to continue on the same developmental path and we believe they will be the closest to the frontrunner.

Mercedes

Last but not least, the Brackley outfit has been Red Bull’s biggest challenger in recent years but has failed miserably in the last two seasons. However, despite that, there were positives in the 2023 season like their abandonment of the zero pod concept, which was holding them back. Since they changed the side pod design, the W14 started showcasing instant improvement, but the team still had a very unreliable car on their hands. However, there is still belief in the team back in Brackley and they will be tirelessly working throughout winter to produce a worthy car. Let’s see how they fare.

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So even though Red Bull does go into the 2024 season as favorites, we believe the aforementioned teams can put up enough of a fight to become a menace. However, all signs point toward a Red Bull onslaught in 2024 as well.

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of EssentiallySports.