Lewis Hamilton responds to Red Bull dominance over claims after Max Verstappen ‘gone’ verdict
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is adamant that Red Bull are “still doing amazing” in the F1 2024 season despite Max Verstappen’s claim that the team’s dominance has now “completely gone.”
Having produced the most dominant season in history in F1 2023, winning 21 of a possible 22 races as Verstappen eased to a third consecutive World Championship, Red Bull were hotly tipped to crush the opposition once again in F1 2024.
Lewis Hamilton not ‘surprised’ by Red Bull F1 2024 troubles
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Yet despite starting the year with four victories – including three one-two finishes for Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez – across the first five races, Red Bull have faced a renewed threat from Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes over recent weeks.
Verstappen claimed his seventh victory of F1 2024 – and his 51st in the last 76 races – at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, where the Dutchman’s RB20 was pipped to pole position by McLaren driver Lando Norris.
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com after qualifying in Barcelona, Verstappen declared that Red Bull’s dominance “is completely gone” and acknowledged that the team are currently “lacking a bit of pace.”
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Verstappen’s admission came just weeks after his father, former F1 driver Jos, claimed that Red Bull’s period of dominance had “come to an end” after he could only manage sixth in Monaco.
Asked if he is surprised that Red Bull are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their advantage over the opposition, Hamilton explained that convergence between teams is natural in the third season of the current ground-effect rules.
And he pointed to the lack of development time Red Bull are granted under F1’s current sliding-scale system, which sees teams at the front afforded less wind tunnel and CFD time compared to backmarkers.
He told media including PlanetF1.com in Austria: “Am I surprised? I wouldn’t say that I’m surprised.
“I think it’s just the way the sport goes and I think we are nearing the end of this generation of cars, so often what happens [is that] it tails off in performance, finding gains is harder.
“They’ve been leading for all these years and also they have less development time, so it’s only natural that people will eventually slowly catch up, but they’re still doing amazing.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell laughed off the suggestion that Red Bull are currently having a difficult time.
He said: “They’ve won seven of the first 10 races!”
Put to him that Red Bull are still experiencing difficulties regardless, Russell responded: “It doesn’t look too difficult!”