🏁 Verstappen Urges Red Bull to Recreate 2023 Dominance: “Put Us Back in That Position”

Reigning four-time world champion Max Verstappen has called on Red Bull Racing to deliver a car that can once again dominate the Formula 1 grid, as it did during his record-breaking 2023 campaign.

In that season, Verstappen finished with 575 points, nearly doubling teammate Sergio Perez’s tally of 285, and scoring enough to secure the constructors’ title single-handedly. But that commanding performance has proven hard to replicate in 2024 with the RB20, which Verstappen described as inconsistent.

“When the Car Is Working… You Just Follow Your Own Strongest Strategy”

Speaking ahead of the latest Grand Prix, Verstappen reflected on how Red Bull’s supremacy in 2023 rendered rival strategies irrelevant.

“If we have a good car, you will be fast and then it doesn’t matter what the other teams do in terms of strategy,” he told RacingNews365. “We have to make sure that we put ourselves back in that position.”

Despite clinching a fourth title last season, the Dutchman acknowledged that the RB20 has continued the decline that began in the second half of 2023, with Perez’s form falling off dramatically. The team ultimately dropped Perez over the winter break.

“As a Team, We Want to Finish One-Two Every Weekend – But That’s Tough Now”

Verstappen also addressed the performance gap between himself and Yuki Tsunoda, who is yet to consistently challenge the front-runners, noting that the bigger issue lies with the machinery.

“Naturally, as a team, we want to finish one-two every single weekend – but that’s tough at the moment,” he said. “We have very strong competition. McLaren is doing a great job.”

He emphasized that McLaren’s resurgence, led by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, has raised the bar—leaving Red Bull no choice but to fight harder on car development for both himself and Tsunoda.