Overshadowing Lewis Hamilton’s Era, Max Verstappen & Co.’s Juggernaut Compared With F1’s Ominous Season of Dominance: “Difference Was So Big”

“If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you’re no longer a racing driver,” said the mighty Ayrton Senna who won his first driver’s championship in 1988. Perhaps that is a motto even the constructors also live by every day considering they better themselves at every given opportunity. Red Bull, which did not have an ideal start in the 2022 season campaign, has a score of three on three in the 2023 season so far. Has Milton Keynes tapped into the speed gods just like an iconic F1 team giving the world a year to remember?

What team are we talking about? It is the Woking-based outfit, McLaren. Their masterclass from 1988 where Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost raced neck to neck, and only finishing 3 points away from each other. While for many, the adopted son of Brazil, Lewis Hamilton looked like a reborn Senna, an ex-F1 legend has decided to snub the 7x champion to draw a comparison with Max Verstappen and his team.

As quoted by Motorsport-total, ten-time Grand Prix winner Berger said, “[This year] it should be difficult for the opponents because teams like Red Bull also have an insane development speed. It reminds me a little of 1988.”

Berger was an ex-driver for Ferrari at the time. But what stands out from his 1988 F1 campaign is that he was the only non-McLaren win of the season in Monza. He also added, “But the difference was so big that they always kept us at a distance when they needed it.”

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But can Milton Keynes really pull off the McLaren 1988-like masterclass? Or will the new regulations will prove to be an equalizer?

Are Max Verstappen and co. in trouble?

Progressive performance convergence introduced in F1 has pushed to bring the teams closer together, meaning the team that finishes first gets the least amount of developmental advantage. While that is already a drawback, the budget cap penalty is another obstacle. And many, including the Red Bull TP, Christian Horner, are of the opinion that Red Bull will find it hard to continue with the massive dominance they have shown.

According to soymotor.com, Stefano Domenicali said “If a team is faster than the others, congratulations, they did a better job. If you look at the rest of the teams, the group is very, very close,” further adding, “I am very sure that with the budget limit, this situation will evolve in the best way for better competition. We have to wait and see the effect of the sanction that they had last year with the reduction of the wind tunnel. The championship is very long and I think we are going to have good surprises at the end ”

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Do you think Red Bull and Max Verstappen can overcome the wind tunnel obstacle and continue with their masterclass?