Red Bull Racing F1 driver Max Verstappen commented on other teams' progress as he mentioned he thinks they are "catching up,"
Red Bull started the 2023 season in a very dominant manner as the team won the first 14 races, giving other teams neither chance nor hope for the race victory.
However, as the season progressed, Red Bull stopped bringing significant upgrades. The team might already be focusing on the 2024 car with both Championship titles in their pockets, but other teams are not stopping the development this season.
It was first during the Italian Grand Prix that Ferrari drivers made it a lot tougher for Verstappen to win. Then, during the Singapore Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz won the race as the only non-Red Bull driver this season.
McLaren has also made a huge step forward and challenged Verstappen for the win during the Japanese and Qatar Grand Prix, during which Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri occupied the second and third steps of the podium.
During last week's race at the Circuit of the Americas, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton finished the race only two seconds after Verstappen as he caught up to the Dutchman in the last stint of the race.
What was unfortunate for the Mercedes driver is that he, along with Charles Leclerc, got disqualified a few hours after the race. Verstappen told Sky Sports after the United States Grand Prix:
"I don’t know how they set up their cars. I was surprised when I heard about it. The track is bumpy and you only have one practice session. It can catch you out."
While the three-time World Champion attributes a bit slower pace to running a car "bit too high," he recognizes the pattern in the last couple of races and admits he thinks other teams are catching up.
"We ran the car a bit too high which cost performance. We know when you drop the car you go faster. I do think other teams are catching up with us."
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