Red Bull Development Driver Jake Dennis has warned the team’s Formula 1 rivals they must “find about a second” per lap to match the reigning champions in 2024.
The Milton-Keynes-based squad have comprehensively dominated F1 since the return to ground effect aerodynamics in 2022, winning 39 of the 44 races to be held.
Last season Red Bull’s 2023 challenger proved virtually untouchable, with the side prevailing in all but one race to secure both championships with several rounds to spare.
Dennis, who tested the RB19 at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, has revealed that he anticipates Red Bull and Verstappen being unstoppable once again this season.
Asked to provide an insight into the development of Red Bull’s 2024 car, Dennis told Mirror Sport: “We’ve got an extremely fast race car again at the Red Bull team.
“I would expect us to become champions again, unless someone like Ferrari or Mercedes somehow manages to find about a second [per lap] overnight.
“I think it’s going to be quite a dull season in Formula 1 with Max probably dominating.”
That provides an ominous sign for Ferrari and Mercedes, who are embarking upon new car concepts after both teams struggled with their launch-spec philosophies last season.
However, Red Bull’s crushing advantage enabled it to cease development on the RB19 early, with Team Principal Christian Horner divulging that only “little performance” upgrades had arrived beyond the summer.
Dennis has provided an even more accurate account of when Red Bull diverted its entire resource towards 2024, citing that the focus switched with seven rounds still remaining.
“I’d be lying if I said we didn’t switch our attention to the 2024 car quite quickly,” he admitted. “We didn’t do any development on the 2023 car after Singapore.”
Alongside the Red Bull simulator duties he has conducted since 2018, Dennis is currently the defending champion in Formula E after clinching his maiden title last season.
The Briton, who drives for the Andretti Global team, is convinced that Red Bull and Verstappen’s success has proved beneficial to the all-electric series’ viewing numbers.
“It’s so dominant from Max right now, it really brings new viewers to Formula E,” Dennis acknowledged. “It brings our championship alive because we just don’t have that – we have a championship which is extremely difficult and close.
“We have 20 cars within two or three seconds on certain tracks, so it’s a lot more exciting and a lot more enjoyable for the fans, I would say.
“We just need to branch out there to a bigger audience for Formula E and get plenty of exposure, which is what is needed for the championship to take it to the next level.”
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