Max Verstappen’s outstanding performance has unquestionably moved Red Bull to the top of the Formula 1 standings, giving them a clear advantage over their rivals. As a result, suggestions that would slow Red Bull’s progress and level the playing field have surfaced. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA, deeply disagrees with these ideas.
Suffering from longstanding losses, the 7xWDC champion Lewis Hamilton made a few proposals to tone down his rival’s authority over the sport.
In an effort to prevent any team from gaining an unfair advantage, especially Red Bull, Lewis Hamilton proposed that from August 1 onwards, as the earliest permissible commencement of work on next year’s car. Despite this proposition, Red Bull dismissed it, highlighting that he had not expressed similar concerns during his own winning streak.
⚠️ | FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem rejects Hamilton’s suggestion to curb Red Bull dominance:
“It’s Red Bull’s time… Nobody is stopping other teams from being better.
“We cannot punish people for being better, trying harder. That’s unfair.”#F1 #BritishGP
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 6, 2023
However, Ben Sulayem has differing opinions on the matter and refuses the idea of consciously hindering Red Bull’s plans. The FIA chief suggested this by saying, “It is [Verstappen’s] time, it’s Red Bull’s time. What do we do and punish the good kid? No, let’s go and make the other teams good. Nobody’s stopping the other teams from being better.” He believes that this move will be highly unethical and unjust for Red Bull and Verstappen.
Red Bull vs Mercedes in the 2023 season
Lewis Hamilton believes that Mercedes will give him the chance to face off against Max Verstappen, as he did in 2021, rather than finding Red Bull’s level of success distracting. The distance between him and Red Bull has shrunk to its smallest point of the year as a result of his run of third-place finishes, including one in the Canadian Grand Prix where he came in behind Fernando Alonso in second.
🗣️ | FIA President on Red Bull’s dominance
“If we go about what’s good and bad we’ll open the door. I mean, was it good for Mercedes? Fair enough?
“It is (Verstappen’s) time, it’s Red Bull’s time. What do we do… punish the good kid? No, let’s go and make the other teams good” pic.twitter.com/fgAJE3ZnfJ
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) July 6, 2023
Recognizing the challenge at hand, Hamilton remains hopeful that Mercedes and Aston Martin can be competitive on specific tracks. However, in the era of budget constraints and restrictions on aerodynamic research, designed to level the playing field and promote greater competition along the pit lane, the sport is once again in a familiar situation with a single team and driver ruling.
Mercedes recently voiced hope regarding their prospects after suffering a difficult 18-month period. Both the drivers and the team anticipate a competitive performance and perhaps even podium finishes such as at the Spanish Grand Prix thanks to the modified W14’s favorable outcomes so far.
Silverstone being a conventionally tough track, drivers need exceptional skills which Russell and Hamilton excel in unless any car deficiencies can be offset in other aspects.