Red Bull’s RB19 is by far the best and fastest challenger of the 2023 F1 season and Max Verstappen with his sheer driving ability has been able to extract the maximum output from the car. Many people also claimed that Red Bull designed the RB19 to suit Verstappen. However, according to Motorsport Magazine, Helmut Marko snubbed these claims.
The Dutch driver has been very impressive this season, having already won two world championships on the trot. Out of 12 races so far this campaign, Verstappen won 10. Additionally, he is also on an eight-race winning streak. If he wins two more races consecutively, he will break Sebastian Vettel’s record of winning the most number of F1 races consecutively.
Compared to him, teammate Sergio Perez has failed to match Verstappen despite having the same car at his disposal. After the Belgian GP, he stands 125 points adrift and for this, he was subjected to massive criticism.
Marko cleared the air on Red Bull’s bias towards Verstappen
Marko, Red Bull’s chief advisor recently opened up to clear the air on his team’s alleged bias towards Verstappen. He said that his team has been neutral all along. Marko is adamant that they did nothing to help Verstappen any more than Perez.
The 80-year-old said, “No, that is not true [on RB developing to suit Max]. At the beginning of 22, the car suffered a lot of understeer.”
Following this, he added, “This was due to the car being overweight. In the long run, you will not be successful with an overweight car. But as the car became lighter, the car went more to a ‘neutral’ balance – or even a bit more oversteer.”
According to Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz, the RB-19 is extremely powerful because of its engine which is powered by Honda. Along with this, the car also boasts a lightweight chassis which increases the speed further. All these are added to the brilliant driving ability of the defending champion, who rarely makes mistakes.
Max Verstappen has been so dominant that even if he finishes every race in P2 from here on, he will still emerge as the world champion.
Furthermore, the RB-19’s pace has also been so supreme that rivals have failed to catch up with them. Plus, it seems like the supremacy is going to stay, at least for a while, or even in the coming few seasons.
However, Red Bull Racing have announced that they are not going to make any upgrades to their car after the summer break. In that case, it will be interesting to see if they can hold on to their dominance for a longer time.
