'Verstappen's dominance in F1 causes TV ratings to drop'
Timo Glock believes that the current dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing is not good for Formula 1. The former F1 driver states this in an interview with LuckyBlock.com.
Verstappen already secured his third world title in Qatar, five Grands Prix before the end of the 2023 F1 season. Red Bull Racing secured the constructors' world title a race weekend before in Japan. It shows the dominance of Verstappen and Red Bull, which Glock says is not good for F1.
"I wouldn't say Red Bull's dominance is unhealthy, but we all want to see a final like we had in 2021, when it went down to the last lap. That's the magic of F1, and it's reflected in the viewing numbers. They were very high back then. It's not so much the case this season - the viewing figures drop off when the championship is decided," said the German.
Could Norris become Verstappen's challenger?
"It would be great to see that kind of fight again. I think the rules should go in the direction of it being tight, and hopefully, that'll happen next year. The championship would be very interesting if we took out Max! That's how it is at the moment, though, and teams need to raise their game for drivers to put Max under pressure."
According to Glock, Lando Norris could be a driver capable of doing that. "He's definitely one of the drivers capable of challenging Max. Lando was under pressure from Oscar on a few occasions, and you could see small mistakes made by Lando in qualifying. If we're talking pure pace, though, Lando is very impressive. He manages to start at the back of the field and finish in the top five! He knows exactly what to do to not make these mistakes again, and he can definitely challenge Max if he has the right package around him."
It is precisely the latter that will be the biggest challenge for the competition. Red Bull Racing has a substantial lead and can use that advantage to already be working on the next car. For example, Adrian Newey and his team are said to already have an invention for the 2024 RB20, giving them a big head start on the competition.