Red Bull’s current advantage with its RB20 has raised the possibility of the team securing the world championships this year and potentially dominating every race.
Following a similarly dominant campaign in 2023, concerns have arisen about the potential impact on F1’s popularity if a closer battle at the front fails to materialize.
While some question whether F1’s new generation of rules has failed to deliver the expected spectacle, Toto Wolff disagrees with this assessment. He believes it would be unwise to follow the path taken by Red Bull team boss Christian Horner in 2015, who advocated for regulatory changes to rein in Mercedes’ dominance.
“I don’t want to fall into the trap of a fellow team principal from next door in 2014/15 who said we should change the regs because it’s too dominant,” Wolff remarked.
He emphasizes that blaming the regulations for the current situation would be misguided, asserting that Red Bull’s success is a result of their superior performance and not a fault of the rules.
“I think they [Red Bull] have done by far the best job of all the teams over the last two years, and credit where credit is due,” Wolff acknowledged. “They are disappearing into the distance as they want, and there’s nobody else close.”
Ferrari, currently Red Bull’s closest competitor, acknowledges the gap but remains optimistic about narrowing it. Team principal Fred Vasseur emphasizes the importance of focusing on car development rather than questioning the regulations.
“It’s not because we are P1, P2, P3 that you have to stop or develop more,” Vasseur stated. “We are fully pushing and will continue with the same approach.”
He stresses the need for continuous development and remains committed to closing the gap with Red Bull, regardless of the regulatory landscape.
“It’s clear they still have an advantage on us, and we have to continue to develop and to push,” Vasseur affirmed.
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