Red Bull and Max Verstappen were unbeatable this season. They have dominated the grid and won an unprecedented 17 races this season. One of the main advantages of Red Bull’s RB18 car was their prevailing straight-line speed, an aspect where 8-time champions Mercedes majorly struggled. However, the FIA’s recent announcement will have the Milton-Keynes team worried.

There is no doubt that the DRS has made overtaking thrilling and competitive again. The introduction of DRS was one of the most genius inventions by the FIA. However, the DRS makes racing fairly predictable in some of the racing tracks on the calendar.

FIA’s Technical Director Nikolas Tombazis believes that a guaranteed overtake for a driver when within DRS range kills the excitement during the race. He further said that it is just as bad for the spectacle as faster cars stuck behind, unable to pass through.

Asked if things were going to be tweaked for 2023, Tombazis told Autosport, “In some races, we may well need to actually reduce the DRS zones. We don’t want overtaking to be, as we say, inevitable or actually easy. It still has to be a fight.”

He also stated, “If it happens too quickly, if you just see a car approaching and then going by and disappearing, it’s actually worse than being at the back and fighting. It needs the right balance to be found there.”

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The news will not be well received at Milton-Keynes, RBR’s headquarters. The DRS helps in aiding a car’s straight-line speed, which is one of RB18’s chief weapons. Cutting the DRS zone means cutting their speed on the straights, which makes it difficult to cover the ground between the car in front.

Max Verstappen finds positives in the upcoming schedule of Sprint races despite criticizing the format

Max Verstappen stated before the Brazilian GP last month that he was not a big fan of the sprint format. The Dutchman added that he was just trying his best to avoid damage and compete in the main race. However, the Red Bull driver conceded that there are positives to the changed format.

Verstappen said, “Of course, everyone has their own opinion, right? Just for me, it’s not that fun. I do like the one practice and then straight into qualifying.” 

He further continued, “I don’t mind that because it’s less practice for everyone to get fully up to speed and you need to really nail the setup, so that’s okay. But I always feel that when I go into a sprint race, you’re not really risking a lot and just wanting to play safe.”

The FIA announced that there will be 6 sprint races next season earlier. Consequently, they have now announced where the sprint races will take place. The first race will take place in Baku, whereas the final sprint will take place in Brazil. In between, there will be 4 races in Austria, Belgium, Qatar, and the US.

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Max Verstappen will hope it is business as usual for him next season after a dominant season. However, it remains to be seen if the FIA cut short Red Bull’s greatest advantage or not. Which driver will win the 2023 season according to you?