The die is seemingly cast. Barring a shock development over the next few races, the 2023 Formula 1 drivers’ world championship will be disputed by the two Red Bull drivers.
Reigning champions Red Bull stunned their rivals with the scale of their superiority in the opening two races. Their winning margin in Bahrain was the biggest seen at a season opener in 25 years. On the same rubber as their rivals in Jeddah the RB19s were over a second per lap quicker than their rivals at times.
With an advantage that large, Red Bull’s rivals know they are not in competition for titles this year. “Is it realistic with today’s performance to even talk about the world championship?” mused Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff in Jeddah, where his cars finished fourth and fifth. “No it’s not. You’re a fool if you think that way.”
A repeat of the down-to-the-wire championship fight between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton which gripped F1 in 2021 is not on the cards. But just because one team is dominating doesn’t necessarily mean the driver’ championship is a foregone conclusion too.
Ferrari, 2002 and 2004
Points: 1st – 10; 2nd – 6; 3rd – 4; 4th – 3; 5th – 2; 6th – 1
Points: 1st – 10; 2nd – 8; 3rd – 6; 4th – 5; 5th – 4; 6th – 3; 7th – 2; 8th – 1
When Ferrari were at the peak of their powers around two decades ago the chances of Michael Schumacher being beaten by team mate Rubens Barrichello never seemed realistic.
Schumacher overcame McLaren’s Mika Hakkinen to take his first title with the team in 2000, then the threat from their rivals receded over the following year. By 2002 Ferrari had a stranglehold on F1, but anyone hoping their drivers would be allowed to fight for the title understood that was not the case after the notorious 2002 Austrian Grand Prix where Barrichello waved his team mate by to win in sight of the chequered flag.
So dominant was Schumacher’s title win that year – he clinched the crown in July with six races to spare – that F1 changed its points system for the following season and introduced other changes which temporarily brought Ferrari’s rivals back within reach. But in 2004 Ferrari reasserted their dominance and Schumacher romped to his seventh and final title, winning 12 of the first 13 races on the way.
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Mercedes, 2014-16
Points: 1st – 25; 2nd – 18; 3rd – 15; 4th – 12; 5th…
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