Max Verstappen is expecting the field to be closer in the 2024 Formula 1 season but admits that he is hoping “there won’t be more competition” compared to this year.
Verstappen dominated the past campaign, winning a record-breaking 19 races – including 10 in a row from Miami to Monza – to secure the title with five rounds to spare.
With team-mate Sergio Perez adding two victories earlier in the season, Red Bull won every single race except for Singapore – when Carlos Sainz triumphed for Ferrari.
But Ferrari and Mercedes were unable to provide a regular challenge, with the cost cap restrictions limiting both teams from utilising the full potential of revised car concepts.
That allowed Aston Martin to score a string of podiums at the start of 2023, while McLaren’s resurgence saw it enter the picture at the front from the summer.
Like team boss Christian Horner, Verstappen predicts that the grid will converge next season and has pinpointed McLaren as potentially Red Bull’s most likely contender.
“Running the same season will be almost impossible,” he told NOS. “Of course, we will try to develop our car further, but the other teams have learned a lot from us.
“I hope there won’t be more competition, but I expect there to be.
“Every weekend it was a different team that showed itself just as well. McLaren, for example, seemed to have it all sorted out for a while, but then had a dip again.
“They seem to know which way to go and there are good people working there. But also at Mercedes they will want to win again and Ferrari also knows what they have to do.”
After struggling during the opening phase of the season, Ferrari rebounded strongly to disrupt Red Bull’s winning run and notch three pole positions in the final five rounds.
Verstappen believes that the Italian marque’s threat over a single lap in qualifying illustrated that his title-winning campaign wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared.
“It’s automatically going to be closer together,” the Dutchman reiterated.
“You also saw it in qualifying this past season: it wasn’t always easy.”
Having surpassed Sebastian Vettel’s win count with his 54th F1 victory in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen is aiming to equal the German with a fourth consecutive title in 2024.
While his benchmark streak of 10 straight wins was ended at the Marina Bay Circuit, the 26-year-old then concluded the season with seven successive first-place finishes.
With a record 24 rounds scheduled next season, Verstappen will have the chance to close on Michael Schumacher’s tally of 91 wins if Red Bull retains its competitive edge.
