Max Verstappen‘s continued F1 dominance in the opening two races of the season, could could cause a tricky cause for concern – according to one former F1 legend.
The reigning champion has cruised to victory in the first two rounds of the season, taking first place in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to show there’s no stopping him as he looks to retain his crown.
In fact, Red Bull have enjoyed consecutive one-two finishes in the opening races of 2024, and despite the early dominance, former F1 champion Damon Hill believes it creates a difficult problem for the team.
Hill is worried that having such commanding form over the likes of Ferrari and McLaren, could see Red Bull lack the motivation to make performance improvements – with no need to concern themselves with those marginal gains.
‘It’s nice when you’ve got a one-two to start off your season and your Constructors’ Championship, so the team feels great,’ he told F1 Nation.
+4
View gallery
Max Verstappen’s form could present a difficult problem for Red Bull just two races in
+4
View gallery
Damon Hill has expressed some concerns for Verstappen and Red Bull for the 2024 season
+4
View gallery
Red Bull have enjoyed two consecutive one-two finishes in the opening two races of 2024
‘The funny thing is, though, that it’s quite difficult to get that striving emotion.
‘When you come second or you get beaten, you don’t like it, so you want to change that situation. There’s a lot of motivation to change.
‘Whereas when you win, you kind of… I know that they will still be trying very hard to find improvements and gains because they’ll have to, but at the same time, where’s the motivation?
‘The only motivation is that you’re going to be caught, and if you’re looking over your shoulder and you can’t see anyone that’s going to catch you, then you can almost go on holiday.’
+4
View gallery
The reigning F1 champ celebrates winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last weekend
Verstappen has been in scintillating form in the first two races of the season, winning by an impressive 22 seconds in Sakhir, before crossing the line more than 13 seconds ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez in Jeddah last weekend.
Last year Red Bull finished top of the constructor’s championship, with more than double the points haul of second placed Mercedes.
They already lead the way after the two rounds this campaign, ahead of Ferrari as Verstappen and Perez bid to make it three one-two’s in a row in Australia next weekend.
