The 2023 Formula 1 summer break is almost at an end, but the opportunity to take stock of how each side’s season has unfolded ahead of the season’s resumption remains.
To quote a popular movie villain: dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same. This ominous warning fits Red Bull’s 2023 season narrative thus far nicely, for the team is cruising well out in front of the competition.
With a 100% win record, eight straight grand prix victories for runaway championship leader Max Verstappen and a grid full of rival teams left scrambling for answers as to how to sustain a consistent challenge, you could say 2023 is going quite well for the Milton Keynes-based squad.
Should this come as a surprise?
No, not really, Red Bull ended 2022 comfortably on top and it’s common knowledge that with any given F1 rule cycle, there’s a dominant team (e.g. Mercedes from 2014 onwards).
Fans of reigning champion Verstappen can rejoice, as all season long he’s barely put a foot wrong, beaten just twice to victory by team-mate Sergio Perez.
On the Mexican’s side of the garage, early title hopes faded from Miami onwards thanks to an alarming dip in qualifying form. Starting in Monaco, Perez went on a run of failing to reach the top-10 shootout in qualifying on five straight occasions.
Aside from Perez’s qualifying issues, Red Bull has remained practically faultless in 2023 and records have been tumbling, with many more in the team’s sights.
Starting with victory for Verstappen in the 2022 season finale at Abu Dhabi, Red Bull has eclipsed McLaren’s existing record of 11 consecutive wins from 1988.
The record has now been extended to 13 thanks to Verstappen’s triumph in Belgium and with that victory came a new record for the most consecutive wins for a team from the beginning of the season with 12 – also eclipsing McLaren’s tally of 11 from 1988.
Verstappen’s Belgian GP victory also puts him one shy of Sebastian Vettel’s consecutive win record of nine and there’s little doubt the Dutchman will match this next time out in his home grand prix at Zandvoort.
The Dutchman’s season has been so impressive, his points tally of 314 is enough to lead the Constructors’ Championship – but Red Bull’s total haul of 503 isn’t to be sniffed at either.
More metrics that highlight just how impressive Verstappen’s season has been so far include the fact that he has already eclipsed Vettel’s total championship-winning points hauls from 2010 (256) and 2012 (281).
There’s no hiding the comparison between Red Bull’s efforts and that of Ferrari in the early 2000s.
Team Principal Christian Horner, technical maestro Adrian Newey and lead driver Verstappen evoke the likes of Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher from the beginning of the century, with Perez fitting the role of Rubens Barrichello: a sturdy number two driver, capable of magic on his day and fast enough to keep the team’s rivals in the rearview mirror.
With some claiming Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance will last until the next major rule change in 2026, the team’s run of form is almost definitely going to continue for the rest of the year.
The only question remaining is can the team go one better than McLaren in 1988 and complete a clean sweep in 2023?
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