Everyone Else Besides Red Bull 'Has Been Up And Down Like A Yo-yo'

Sunday, 12 November 2023 at 23:00

F1 Journalist Tom Clarkson recently said he thinks Red Bull's dominance is down to consistency rather than power difference.

Red Bull has won 19 out of 20 races of the season so far. The team has shown incredible form and consistency throughout the 2023 season.

Many attribute this success to either the raw speed of their car or to Max Verstappen, who himself achieved 17 out of 19 Red Bull wins. Tom Clarkson thinks the source of dominance might be elsewhere. He told the F1 Nation podcast:

"I think, in a nutshell, what we’ve seen from Mercedes actually explains the difference between Red Bull and the entire grid."

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Mercedes's performance in Sao Paulo was far below average, set by their previous race results. But that is just a continuation of the team's trend in performances that have been up and down in different races all season.

On the other hand, Red Bull has consistently delivered the best package for each and every track, no matter the circumstances, with the exception of the Singapore Grand Prix. Clarkson added:

"I don’t believe that, at any point - maybe Suzuka - that Red Bull have been miles ahead of the opposition."

The F1 journalist suggests that it it this consistency that makes Red Bull so dominant. Every other team on the grid has struggled for some period of the season.

McLaren has been down at the beginning of the season. Performances of Aston Martin started falling in the middle of the season. Mercedes has been up and down all season and Ferrari as well.

"They’ve just been more consistent. That RB19 has performed at every race-track whereas everyone else has been up and down like a yo-yo."

It might be that Red Bull just built the ultimate most versatile car on the grid that nobody can match. If so, other teams are in trouble for the next two seasons until the technical rules change in 2026.