MIAMI | Canadian Grand Prix CEO François Dumontier believes that Max Verstappen’s dominance at Red Bull, with already four wins to his name in six races this season and 48 in the 74 races since the 2021 season, “is a bit dangerous » for motorsport.
“In the long term, for the average racing fan, there is a disinterest. Unless you are a die-hard Verstappen fan, said the man who is celebrating his 30th anniversary in the world of F1 this year.
Since 1994, he has watched a number of drivers dominate the premier event of motorsport. Starting with Michael Schumacher at Ferrari in the Sunday parades from 2000 to 2004, Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull from 2010 to 2013 and Lewis Hamilton between 2014 and 2020.
“How many fans said they watched the start and then went to mow their lawn before returning in front of the screen for the end of the race?” he imagined in a generous interview with The newspaper in the F1 paddocks this weekend in Miami.
“For sport, it’s dangerous,” continued the big boss of the Octane racing group and president of the National Automobile Sports Authority. In the new technical regulations for cars for 2026, the officials want to avoid domination by bringing the cars closer together and encourage overtaking.”
Red Bull engineer and special consultant, magician Adrian Newey, examines Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari before the start of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.
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Difficult to imitate
“We have to admit that Max is good. He has incredible calm and is an excellent driver who makes very few mistakes, he added of the three-time reigning world champion. He also drives a very good car. I’m not sure that a driver driving behind at the back of the pack would be able to do the same thing in this car, which is very well tuned by the engineers.”
AFP
Behind the alpha male of the pack since 2021, Dumontier also sees clear improvements. Ferrari is regaining momentum and McLaren is rising among the best teams while Mercedes, long dominant, is crashing.
According to the boss of the GP held in Montreal, this bodes well for this season which is only a quarter of the way through the calendar, but also for the future.
However, he believes Ferrari chose to keep the wrong driver when Hamilton was announced for 2025.
“Carlos [Sainz] progresses more than Charles [Leclerc]“, he said before the Monegasque’s podium in Miami.
No impact in Montreal
Regardless of who leads the rankings of drivers and manufacturers, Dumontier says there is no correlation with the popularity of the Grand Prix in Quebec.
Verstappen has dominated since 2021 and this did not prevent recording a record crowd of 345,000 spectators over the three days of the event in June 2023.
And it will be the same observation in a month when the cars will be racing on the completely repaved Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
Moreover, Verstappen will aim for a third title in a row in Montreal. What only Schumacher, Hamilton and Nelson Piquet have achieved.
“We have good crowds and good fans of Formula 1 and its teams. Even in years when no Canadian drivers raced in F1, the Grand Prix remained popular.
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In June, the Grand Prix program has been full for months. Recognized for its particular character by sticking to European tradition, the event gradually fits into the mold of Liberty Media, owner of F1, which wants to make each race a real Super Bowl.
Several new events are being put forward, including concerts by Pitbull and The Chainsmokers at Parc Jean-Drapeau. A first in the history of the GP.
