Formula 1’s top boss Stefano Domenicali anticipates a more competitive season in 2024, following Max Verstappen’s dominant championship win. Red Bull’s supremacy this year has sparked calls for regulatory changes, but Domenicali points to teams like McLaren to suggest the grid can naturally close up without intervention.
Between the lines
- Max Verstappen’s third championship win with Red Bull showcased a significant performance gap in the 2023 season.
- Despite Red Bull’s dominance, F1 CEO Domenicali expects a closer competition in 2024, citing improvements from teams like McLaren.
- New regulations have shifted the F1 power balance, with Red Bull capitalizing and others like Aston Martin and AlphaTauri showing late-season progress.
- Domenicali resists calls for immediate regulatory changes, with a major engine overhaul set for 2026.
- Qualifying times suggest inherent closeness in the field, hinting at potential for tighter race competition next year.
Go deeper
After the dust has settled on the tracks, it’s clear that Red Bull Racing, with their star driver Max Verstappen, has left competitors in a cloud of exhaust. The 2023 season saw Verstappen secure his third drivers’ title with a whopping 575 points, while his teammate Sergio Perez snagged second place, leaving Lewis Hamilton and the rest trailing behind. The constructors’ title was also a Red Bull feast, as they doubled the points of their nearest rivals.
But hold your horses, F1 aficionados! Domenicali, the man steering the F1 ship, believes the 2024 season will be a tighter race to the podium. He’s waving the flag for the underdogs, pointing to McLaren’s mid-season surge as proof that progress can be made lickety-split, even with a budget cap in place.
While the F1 world has been a tango of dominance between Mercedes and Red Bull in recent years, the dance floor is getting crowded. Aston Martin twirled into the spotlight at the start of the season, and AlphaTauri sharpened their moves towards the end. It’s not just about who leads; it’s about who can step up their game.
Now, some are calling for a shake-up in the rules to level the playing field. But Domenicali is not one to jump the gun. With a major engine regulation change on the horizon in 2026, he’s suggesting we keep our eyes on the prize and let the teams adapt and evolve.
And if you think the competition is all about Red Bull’s breakneck speed, take a gander at the qualifying stats. The grid is packed tighter than sardines, with the top 20 cars within a second of each other. Sure, race pace is a different beast, but Domenicali’s crystal ball shows a 2024 season where the race days could be anyone’s game.
Stay tuned to our channels for all the twists and turns of the F1 saga, because if there’s one thing we know, it’s that in the world of Formula 1, the only constant is change.
