BREAKING: F1 has returned to its ultra-competitive, rivalry-driven peak form.
If you became a Formula One fan in 2021, you might have spent the last couple of years wondering when things would get exciting again.
That year, despite the fraught and toxic atmosphere from Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s intense championship battle, showcased F1 at its best. Two drivers and teams went all out for the championship, with momentum swinging back and forth until the final race.
As live sports made a full return from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, F1 experienced rapid growth and a surge in interest, peaking in 2021. The efforts by Liberty Media, which had acquired the series in 2017, were paying off significantly. Fans seeking the “Drive to Survive” drama every other Sunday were satisfied, and it seemed the good times were here to stay.
Then, Verstappen and Red Bull initiated an unprecedented period of dominance in F1, quite different from the ultra-competitive, high-tension sport that had attracted millions of new fans.
Throughout 2023, fans tuned in knowing they’d likely spend the next 90 minutes to two hours watching another Verstappen victory, accompanied by the Dutch national anthem.
I wrote last year about the potential impact of such dominance on F1, especially in the United States. The viewership surge in 2021 carried into 2022, reaching record levels, only to drop by 9.1 percent the following year.
While the numbers remained strong, the dip indicated that despite the push for new races in Miami or Las Vegas to capture the American market, the best advertisement for F1 was still the on-track competition. If the sport wasn’t competitive, people might lose interest. The start of this season, with Verstappen winning by an average of 15 seconds each weekend, did little to alleviate that concern.
Can we really endure another couple of years of one-driver domination and maintain the same enthusiasm for F1’s direction?
While speaking to Zak Brown in McLaren’s motorhome on Saturday during a media session, it hit me that things have indeed changed. We’re finally back to the good times in F1.
Brown, the CEO of McLaren Racing, reflected on Lando Norris’s collision with Verstappen in the closing stages. The day before, he criticized Red Bull for a “lack of respect” and called for the FIA to strengthen its stewarding to prevent a repeat of the incident—even though Norris had already moved on, saying Verstappen did not need to apologize.
The fact that this was even a conversation highlighted how much more competitive F1 has become. We could even ask Brown about taking the fight to Red Bull this year and whether McLaren was ready for the battle to get as “nasty” as it did in 2021.
