No one can take anything away from Max Verstappen and his achievements. But the stark reality remains that Formula One race-day fights are for second place and lower, and that outcome is not in the best long-term interest of the sport.
After Max Verstappen overtook Red Bull teammate Carlos Sainz for the race lead on lap 14 of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, all the overtaking moves were for 2nd place or lower. But even with first place assured, there were plenty of battles to sustain their interest.
Lewis Hamilton fought his way up from a poor qualifying position (8th) to finish 6th, overtaking both Lando Norris (McLaren), who finished seventh, and Alex Albon (Williams), who finished seventh. Along the way, Hamilton collided with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, earning Hamilton a 5-second penalty. Piastri finished 12th.
Meanwhile, the passionate Tifosi home crowd focused on Ferrari’s performance, especially the battle for second place between Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. It took Perez until nine laps from the end of the race to pass Sainz and claim second place. Saintz fought valiantly, but Perez’s superior pace and car won out in the end. To add to the intrigue, Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc immediately challenged Sainzc after giving up the second-place lead to Perez. The fight went on lap after lap, with Sainz maintaining his lead to the finish. It was a welcome finish for Ferrari and its fans, with Saintz claiming a podium spot and Leclerc finishing fourth. Sunday’s success brought Ferrari its third-highest point total of the season, and the team is in third place for 2023 behind Red Bull and Mercedes.
But drama of that kind won’t sustain general fan interest because it isn’t for the championship. Not only did Verstappen win his 10th straight on Sunday, the Red Bull team finished 1-2 in Italy, and the team also stands 1-2 on the season. Verstappen has a huge lead on partner Perez at #2, and Perez is nearly 50 points ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), who is #3. That distance is nothing compared to the gap in the 2023 Constructor’s Championship race, where Red Bull has a whopping 310-point lead over #2 Mercedes.
It’s all great for Red Bull, but the present circumstance isn’t satisfying when it comes to growing a sport. It resembles American baseball fans following a slugger chasing a home run record. Most are neither fans of the player nor the team; they are interested in the possibility of witnessing history.
Any sport needs sustainable fan interest and growth in the hyper-competitive sports industry. Verstappen winning every race isn’t a formula for success.
