As No Max! You’ll never be Better than Ayrton Senna!
Regardless of your statistics…
Was Talkin’ Turkey, Err Formula 1 recently with
one of the few people I get a chance to these days. As former Austin F1 sherpa Claudio’
was saying He guessed Red Bull has the Best engine on the Grid? Which makes Max
Verstappen so unbeatable?
And if you’re a Diehard F1 Aficionado like
Mwah, albeit Fading. Then Y’all know about the 1988 Formula 1 season when
McLaren won 15 of that year’s 16 races! Since Red Bull’s being compared to this
phenomenon, apparently with Max saying that Red Bull could very well win All 22
races this year, Youza!
Having “read” the very staggering statistics
according to Reuters Alan Baldwin following the Spanish Grand Prix. Noting how
Red bull had won the past 17 of 18 Grands Prix, from Round 12 at Le Castellet,
France last year. Including seven in-a-row this year thru Barcelona!
For which Verstappen’s won a staggering 14
times! With His Wingman Sergio Checo’ Perez taking three. With the only single
non Red Bull win during this period being George Russell’s maiden Grand Prix
victory at last year’s Sao Paolo Grand Prix, Aye Karumba!
Since when I think about McLaren’s 1988 “Dream
Team” of The Professor, aka Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. I’m struck by the
fact that they were the two Best Formula 1 Drivers on the F1 grid at that
point. And sorry Checko’, but you’ll Never be in this Zip code…
As ironically, McLaren’s Honda 1.5-litre twin
turbo V-6 lump’ was the best engine on the 1988 F1 grid, coInky-dense? Not to
mention having a very good chassis…
Whilst we know that MaxiMillions’, nee Verstappen
won a record 15 Grands Prix last year. With the rest of the grid picking up the
table scraps! As Max’s Red Bull teammate Checo’ (Perez) knotted two W’s. While Ferrari’s
Charles Leclerc won three, along with Scuderia teammate Carlos Sainz, Jr. winning
His maiden grands Prix at Bloody Silverstone. And Mercedes George Russell’s win
at Sao Paolo.
As I told Claudio, and I’m probably stating the
obvious here. But I feel certain that it’s the entire package, i.e.; Driver,
Chassis and Engine that makes Red Bull
currently unbeatable!
Since I’ll begrudgingly concede that Verstappen’s
currently the best F1 driver. But how would Charles Leclerc do if He and
Verstappen swapped rides? Ditto Sainz or Russell. Not to mention that Sir Lewis,
or to that point. That Smarmy Spaniard Frederico Suave’, aka Fernando Alonso would
certainly be collecting more Silverware, nee Grands Prix trophies, and Gasp,
Championships!
Whilst if I recall correctly? Red Bull was threatening
to Quit F1 awhile ago unless the FIA Froze the current engine regulations when
Honda announced it was Quitting Formula 1 again. Which after agreen to this
demand, Red Bull and Honda saw Verstappen controversially win the 2021 Drivers
Championship at Yas Isle,. Where I believe that Max and Lewis Hamilton had been
tied on nine wins apiece, before Verstappen won the “tie-breaker”.
Thus with the engine regulations frozen until
2025, I suspect we’re in for a further few dull years of Verstappen and Red
Bull’s dominance! A la Mercedes from 2014-2021…
Yet I tend to overlook the fact that Adrian Newey,
arguably the greatest ever Formula 1 Designer, whose racecar have reportedly
won a staggering 200 Grands Prix! Worked for March Engineering in His formative
years.
As Newey is the only Formula 1 Designer to have
won Constructors Championships for three F1 Teams, ergo Williams, McLaren and
Red Bull. With His racecars having won
eleven Constructors and twelve
Drivers titles to date! Since obviously Verstappen and Red Bull are well
on their way to clinching this year’s “double”.
Team Willy’ won the 1992-94 and 1996-97
Constructors titles. Followed by the Ronsters’, nee Ron Dennis’s McLaren in
1998 and then Red Bull from 2010-13 and 2022 and counting…
While Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill
and Jacques Villeneuve won their F1 Drivers titles at Team Willy’. Followed by
Mika Hakkinen’s Double World Championship at McLaren. And then Sebastian Vettel’s
four consecutive Championships at Red Bull before the current Verstappen reign
began! Making me wonder if it’s the driver or the chassis? Or what comes first,
the Chicken or the Egg, Wee-wee?
Much noise has been made lately over the Red
Bull RB19’s “Underbody” floor’s secret’s finally being divulged when Perez’s stricken
RB19 was lifted skywards by a crane at Monaco. Although McLaren’s Andrea Stella
admitted it was one complex looking “Piece of Kit!”
As I’d totally forgotten that Newey’s first racecar
design was the March GTP car of 1982, specifically the 82G. Which if I’m
reading the record books correctly, it’s successor, the March 83G won the IMSA GTP
Championship in 1983-84.
Then Newey moved to engineer Bobby Rahal at
Truesports in 1984, before His March 85-86C designed Indy Cars won both the
series Championship and Indianapolis 500. Arse-sumedly with all three racecars
being Ground Effects chassis.
Making me tell Claudio that I suspect that Newey
simply has a better understanding of Ground Effects vs. the rest of the Formula
1 field and Hence, why the Red Bull RB18 and RB19 are leaps ahead of everybody.
Not to mention suffering the least from Porpoising!
As I’ve read many times how it’s the total
package, i.e.; the front wing working with the sidepods and floor. Channeling
the “invisible” Air to the diffuser and rear wing. Along with working in harmony
with the Drag Reduction system. (DRS) Along with needing a powerful engine, Err
Power Unit and gasp, somebody to steer the Bloody contraption!
So even though Max is set to eclipse the late, great Ayrton Senna’s F1 career wins tally shortly, with Prost and Vettel’s surely in sight. Does this make Verstappen as great or greater than these Formula 1 icons? Especially Senna and Prost, who accomplished their records during the era of fewer Grands Prix per season…