F1 News: McLaren CEO Anticipates Shift in Dynamics After Max Verstappen Defeat
Following the predictable 2023 season dominated by Max Verstappen's consistent victories, McLaren CEO Zak Brown expresses confidence in an upcoming shift in the sport's landscape, anticipating a new era unlike anything witnessed before once the three-time world champion is defeated.
Key Takeaways:
- McLaren CEO Zak Brown anticipates a significant shift in Formula 1's landscape after Max Verstappen's dominance, expecting a new era once another driver overtakes him.
- Teams are hopeful for a change in dynamics, with McLaren focusing on improving their MCL60's pace and several others showing sporadic impressive performances throughout the season.
- Brown emphasizes the competitiveness of Formula 1 and believes that once Verstappen is surpassed, the sport will enter an unprecedented era marked by intense competition and unpredictability.
All hopes rely on the teams that ended up having the top three or four fastest cars toward the end of last year, apart from Red Bull. After all, a shift in the dynamics is the need of the hour for fans looking forward to experiencing close racing.
Several teams displayed impressive firepower throughout the year, but none maintained consistency. For example, Aston Martin won many podiums in the first half of the season but later on the team struggled to fight mid-field.
Conversely, McLaren was relatively inactive during the first half of the season but gained momentum in the latter half as the team identified areas for improvement to enhance the pace of the MCL60 F1 car.
The season for Mercedes and Ferrari was a mixed bag but, it is important to keep in mind that Ferrari was the only non-Red Bull team to have won a race in 2023 when Carlos Sainz proved victorious at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Brown contends that Formula 1's predictability is largely due to Verstappen's dominance, suggesting that when another driver surpasses him, it will usher in a new era for the sport. Speaking on the Speedcafe KTM Summer Grill, he said:
“So I don't think Formula 1's ever been more competitive, and I think it's only going to get even more competitive.
“You had Max and the RB19 working their magic, which made the racing at the front a little more predictable than we'd all like it to be.
“But behind that, look at us, we were ninth quickest [at the start of the year] and ended up second quickest at the end of it.
“Then you had Aston Martin, second quickest [early on], then kind of dropped to fifth quickest and then made a comeback.
“The teams were amazing, so I think the sport is massively competitive, and I think once some of us catch this Max guy, Formula 1's going to be unlike anything we've seen before.”
