Andretti on dominant Red Bull: 'Sport thrives when records are broken'

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Andretti on dominant Verstappen and strong Red Bull
15 August 2023 at 19:02
Last update 15 August 2023 at 22:33
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  • Olly Darcy
  • Editor

Red Bull Racing have won every Grand Prix before the summer break, and Max Verstappen has won the last eight races on Sunday. Ancient records have fallen, or are about to fall, now that the Austrian formation is dominating Formula 1 this year. According to Mario Andretti, dominance is part of the sport, and he does not mind Verstappen and Red Bull dominating the sport this year.

Red Bull broke McLaren's old record of most wins in a row this year, and after the summer break, the Milton Keynes-based squad can further cement that record. Verstappen can match Sebastian Vettel's 2013 record of most wins in a row (nine) at Zandvoort and break it at Monza, and Red Bull can become the first team ever in motorsport's premier class to win all GPs. McLaren reached 15 race wins from 16 races 35 years ago.

Formula 1 is not as exciting as it will be in 2021, but Andretti informs PlanetF1 that that is part of it. Indeed, it is a reason to praise Red Bull to the skies. Because anyone who is so much stronger than the rest in such a competitive field as F1 is doing something tremendously right, according to Andretti.

Breaking records

Besides, Andretti believes that records are there to be broken: "I’ve held some records in IndyCar for many, many years. All of a sudden, they’re in danger, so the way I look at the sport, I love to see the sport thrive. And the sport thrives when records are broken. That’s the beautiful thing about it. I look at it as a very, very positive thing for individuals like myself that love the sport above anything else," the 83-year-old American explained.

According to Andretti, dominance is nothing new in Formula 1. It happened in the past too, so in his view, there is no reason to panic now. "OK, records are broken. But at the same time, a single team dominating a season, or a driver-dominated season, has happened historically in Formula 1 from the beginning."