Red Bull has been a dominate force in Formula 1 for years. Red Bull first entered Formula 1 in 2005 at the Australian Grand Prix. Since then, they have earned five constructors’ championships, and six drivers’ championships. Their most notable drivers are Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. However, three more drivers helped Red Bull get to 100 victories. Mark Webber won nine races, Daniel Ricciardo won seven races and most recently Sergio Perez has won five races.
While Red Bull has been fortunate enough to have skilled drivers, the architect of their cars is Adrian Newey. The British engineer joined the team in 2006 and is the mad scientist who develops the dominant race cars Red Bull enjoys. Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen benefited greatly from Newey’s genius. Still, Vettel and Verstappen had to drive these insane rides around the track to victory. It’s an important symbiotic relationship that continues to be Red Bull’s formula for success. The Newey/Verstappen combo is well on their way to winning their third championship in a row.
Round Nine of this year’s Formula 1 Championship series took us to Canada. Qualification challenged the whole grid as the teams’ changed tires from inters to slicks. Pierre Gasly didn’t get out of Q1. Lance Stroll spun out during Q2 and slammed into the wall ending his day. Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc also struggled, failing to get out of Q2. Q3 featured the remaining ten drivers running on inters. When Oscar Piastri crashed into the wall with seven minutes to go, Q3 was shut down, leaving Verstappen, Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso as the top three drivers. Haas took some engine penalties, and Hulkenberg ended up starting the race at P5.
The race itself was fairly unremarkable. During lap 1, Hamilton overtook Fernando Alonso off the line. However, as the race unfolded, evidence of Aston Martin’s upgrades coupled with Alonso’s skill allowed Alonso to eventually overtake Hamilton at lap 22. The top three drivers remained in place the rest of the race. Alonso’s inspired run this year continues to impress and he has quickly become everyone’s favorite driver to root for this year.
Total team consistency seems to be an issue with Mercedes, Red Bull and Aston Martin. George Russell hit the wall during lap 12 causing damage to his right rear tire and his front wing. He limped thru most of the race but eventually retired with about 20 laps to go. Sergio Perez has struggled over the past few races. Though he started in twelfth position, he was able to secure P6 at the end of the race. Given the strength of the car, it seems Perez should be battling for the top podium spots with Verstappen and Alonso. Finally, it is no secret that the owner of Aston Martin’s team is also Lance Stroll’s father. Dad has become more vocal about his expectations. He is beginning to demand that his son do better. Unfortunately, in Canada, Stroll was unable to impress in his home country’s race, finishing ninth.
Once again three former Formula 1 Champions occupied the podium positions. Enjoy the history as it happens because we may never see this again…or, maybe we will. Parity is certainly having a positive effect on Formula 1. Seven different teams earned a spot in the top ten once the checkered flag waved. Red Bull, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams, Alpine and Alfa Romeo. If the rest of the grid can catch up to Red Bull, perhaps we can start to see an even bigger shake up on the podium. For now, Max Verstappen continues to add to his and Red Bull’s legacy.
