Max Verstappen overwhelmingly dominated the 2023 Formula 1 season by winning 19 out of 22 races – with Red Bull only losing one to Ferrari. However, there was a great balance and variety in the other podium positions, with a total of five teams being regular visitors to the top three at least for part of the year.
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren – which was one of those teams – told Speedcafe.com that these numbers demonstrate the most competitive F1 he can remember:
“I think [the budget cap] has been good. On one hand, with one driver, we’ve never had a less competitive Formula 1, thanks to Max, hats off to him. Behind that, it’s the most competitive I’ve ever seen in Formula 1. It’s the first time in Formula 1 history that we’ve had five teams with seven or more podiums. There are teams that are ninth or tenth in the championship getting into Q3, not regularly, but enough. In the past, in Formula 1, the teams at the back of the pack were three seconds behind. Now the whole pack is covered by one second.”
The American executive added: “I don’t think Formula 1 has ever been more competitive, I think it’s going to become even more competitive. When some of us catch up to Max, Formula 1 will be the opposite of anything we’ve seen before.”
