Abiteboul praises Red Bull: 'Drivers no longer fight with Verstappen'

Cyril Abiteboul has showered Red Bull Racing with compliments. The former Renault team boss thinks the dominance of the Austrian formation is impressive, but he does add a caveat. The supremacy also has to do with other teams not delivering.

"Ferrari's dominance came at a time when F1 was much less competitive than now," Abiteboul interjected. Nowadays there is a lot more of a level playing field, created in part by the introduction of the budget cap. "Ferrari dominated with budgets and a structure that other teams did not even come close to. Red Bull, on the other hand, is a prestigious team, very well organised and funded, but it is not the only team. They dominate in an environment where the others are not weak."

Competition 'fails'

That those other nine teams won only one Grand Prix in total this season (Ferrari in Singapore), Abiteboul blames them. According to the 46-year-old Frenchman, the competition should have been much closer to Red Bull, especially as the regulations were almost the same compared to 2022. "If there had been a change, it could be that there is a team that has worked particularly well and comes up with a trick. But in 2023, the regulations were basically known to everyone. The other teams should have been more competitive," he told franceinfo.

Max Verstappen impressed several times in his RB19. Even when he had to start further back - such as from P15 in Saudi Arabia and P9 in Miami - the triple world champion performed excellently. Abiteboul does add a caveat. "The apparent ease with which he can overtake also has to do with the fact that the drivers are not fighting him. They know they cannot race him. Instead of wearing out their tyres by stopping him, they let him pass."

More opposition expected

Abiteboul does not think Red Bull Racing will manage to win as many races again in 2024. The regulations remain the same again, and so he expects teams like Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren to challenge the RB20 more than has happened this year. "If this situation continued for too long, it would cause problems, but I would be surprised if the dominance we have seen this season remains intact next season."