After a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it looks like almost half the field is capable of winning races in Formula 1.
McLaren chairman and chief executive Zak Brown, whose driver Lando Norris is Max Verstappen’s most serious title challenger, said it was the best show on track in his eight years in F1.
There have been six different winners in the last eight races, representing four different teams. Verstappen, whose dominance in 2022 and 2023 has broken records, still leads the standings, but his last victory was in June.
“I think this is the best season I can think of in Formula One since I’ve been here,” Brown told The Associated Press at the final race of the IndyCar season on Sunday in Nashville.
Could it be even better than the battle between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in 2021, which was decided on the final lap of the season? Brown thinks so.
“It was very exciting, but it was only two drivers, two good drivers. Right now you have four good teams in the fight [for wins],” he said.
“Having four teams that can win at any time, and [Sergio] Perez was obviously back in form [in Baku], so eight drivers go to Singapore and we’re like, ‘I don’t know which of these four teams could win. I don’t know which of these eight drivers could win.’ I don’t remember Formula 1 having that level of competitiveness.”
There was non-stop action on Sunday.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took victory in Baku after a daring overtaking move at Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Perez was in contention for Red Bull before he collided with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr., handing third place to Mercedes’ George Russell on a silver platter.
Further back, Norris transformed a 15th place on the grid into fourth at the finish, cutting three points off Verstappen’s lead, who finished fifth.
Team performance fluctuates from week to week, depending on developments, track conditions and set-up changes. In fact, it was poor set-ups that ruined Verstappen’s weekend, he said.
Even a tire change can change the pace of a race, Russell said Sunday.
“Just in that one race we had a car that could have won with the pace for half the race and a car that should have been outside the top 10 for the other half,” he said.
“I hope we get the fast version [in Singapore].”
The Singapore street circuit was the scene of one of the closest races of a 2023 season otherwise dominated by Red Bull. On used tyres, Sainz held off attacks from Norris and the two Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton.
Piastri is the driver of the moment in F1, having accumulated the most points in the last seven races. He knows that many factors come into play to be successful this year and that everything can change very quickly.
“We had our chances everywhere, and I think today was one of those days where we weren’t necessarily the quickest, but we had a car that could put us in the fight,” said the Australian.
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