Max Verstappen fans' new feelings on Red Bull star's F1 dominance speak volumes

11 November 2023 , 13:46

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Max Verstappen has won a record 17 Grands Prix this season (Image: Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Max Verstappen's dominance in Formula 1 is beginning to have an adverse effect on support for the Red Bull star.

Verstappen, 26, won his third successive Drivers World Championship with six Grands Prix to go and is backed every race by the Orange Army - a group of adoring fans from his home nation, the Netherlands. But the Dutchman isn't everyone's cup of tea, even being booed as he took to the podium following his win at last month's United States Grand Prix.

Dutch newspaper De Limburger reports that there are now signs of "saturation" within Verstappen's fan base, even after a record-breaking 17th win at last weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix, with his dominance being viewed as a negative for Formula 1. "The fact that even Max Verstappen's most ardent fans are showing signs of saturation is a sign of the writing on the wall," the newspaper claimed.

While many F1 fans, pundits and drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, would agree that Red Bull's dominance this season - as Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez, is set to finish second in the overall standings - is a bad thing for the sport, the Dutch driver isn't concerned with the criticism. Following Red Bull's only defeat of the 2023 season so far in Singapore, Verstappen claimed that people who don't appreciate his team's quality are not "real" fans.

"For me, it was just we got beaten, in a very clear way," the 26-year-old admitted. "I don't think about what is good for Formula 1. I don't think it's necessarily bad what was happening to Formula 1 because we were just better than everyone else. And if people can't appreciate that, then you're not a real fan."

Pierre Gasly was allowed to leave AlphaTauri due to worries over his F1 future

Seven-time world champion Hamilton has stated that no team should be allowed to dominate in the manner that Red Bull have in 2023, with the Mercedes star telling Channel 4 : "We shouldn't have a chance to dominate for a large number of years, the battle for top positions should be closer.

"Unfortunately, however, Red Bull could seriously dominate in the next three seasons as well. If we continue like this, maybe it will be Ferrari that will dominate in the next few years, or maybe McLaren will, or maybe Mercedes will come back ahead, but I think this is not the best thing for the fans."

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is one of the most high-profile figures to criticise Red Bull's dominance (Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Have your say! Will Red Bull dominate the grid again in 2024? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hit back at Hamilton by telling the Eff Won podcast: "I feel like he's got selective memory. So you know, some of the winning that [Mercedes] did in that period was just obscene. We've had a good run for a couple of years, but the one guy that shouldn't be saying that I would think, is Lewis."

Nathan Ridley