The rivalry between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing has been bubbling all season, and now has inevitably begun to pour over the brim.
Lewis Hamilton, a 7-time World Champion has continuously pushed the limits within F1, breaking records and maintaining a comfortable lead in previous years. Although there are those who dispute this success though claiming his car as the ultimate advantage, there’s no question that he has repeatedly demonstrated excellence in the sport.
Max Verstappen is a force among the other drivers. He is Red Bull’s championed and treasured driver who has an incredible fanbase of his own. The young driver was showcased as an arrogant and antagonistic character in the Drive to Survive series, however, Verstappen has prevailed from that image as a premium contender that has been behind Mercedes’ comfortable success.
Before exploring the controversial moments the pair have shared this season, take note that this rivalry expands beyond the two drivers. Team Principals, Christian Horner (Red Bull), and Toto Wolff (Mercedes) have participated in their own rivalry. You don’t need to be an expert to realise that these two men don’t tickle each other’s fancy. This has sparked a timeline of beef the two share over opposing issues in F1. It’s genuinely laughable at times, but in depth, it’s only a reflection of the intense and hungry determination both teams have.
Desperately Closing the Gap
As F1’s leading teams, at almost every race, both seem to put a magnifying glass to the others’ car, desperately searching for a fault that they can report to the FiA in hopes of penalising their rivals. From a fan’s perspective, this season’s close contenders have been host to the most gripping moments in the sport, especially at some of the most favoured tracks. And frankly, inject it into my veins.
In previous seasons, we would always hear Hamilton exclaim that “the Red Bull’s were really quick today” or “the Red Bull’s were making my life difficult” when he would finish the race with quite a big gap between him and Max Verstappen. That being said, it was hard to believe that Red Bull were pressuring Mercedes and instead, it almost felt like a satirical slap in the face to Red Bull, teasing that they were quick, but not quick enough.
This season however, Red Bull and Mercedes have been closing the gap with every race weekend. The desperation both teams have to win has driven the two drivers to enormous collisons. The first being in Silverstone, the heart of F1 and the home race of Lewis Hamilton. With only a couple points between them, the race became even more anticipated among the fans, especially as Max Verstappen started on pole position. The drama started on the first lap where both cars immediately began battling for first place as they rapidly approached Turn 1.
Silverstone
Turn 1, named Copse, is known as one of the fastest corners and overtaking is pretty uncommon, but not disallowed. As both cars approached Copse, fans watched eagerly as they waited for one driver to give out, and allow the other space, yet none of them did. As Hamilton went though the inside, and Verstappen the outside, their wheel-to-wheel racing sent Verstappen screeching off the track straight into the barriers at a shocking 180mph (300 km/h). The impact of the collision was clocked in at 51g. That is equivalent to 51 times Earth’s gravitational pull.
Only in the first corner, on the first lap- y’all, omg.
Verstappen was sent to the hospital as he watched Hamilton participate in expressive celebrations which struck a chord with many people. The collision was deemed a racing incident and Hamilton was penalised with a 10-second penalty which he served, then went on to win the race.
Monza
The second and most recent incident happened at the race in Monza, Italy. And let me just say, this was a hell of a race. Unlike Silverstone, Hamilton started a few positions back while Verstappen held onto pole position which was soon taken from him by Daniel Ricciardo. Verstappen had just experienced a devastating 11-second pitstop that eventually brought Hamilton up to speed and saw the both of them battle through the chicane and first couple of corners. Similar to Silverstone, neither of the drivers pulled away and instead, both tried to squeeze through the very tight corner. Verstappen bounced off the sausage kerbs that lined the corner and mounted Hamilton’s car, with one of his tyres knocking Hamilton’s helmet. The halo of Lewis’ car saved his life. Former driver and F1 World Champion, Damon Hill commented that the incident was the result of a lack of self-control. Both drivers retired from the race and Verstappen received a 3-place grid penalty for the upcoming race in Sochi, Russia.
Relentless
From just these two incidents, we can see that both were caused by the relentless desire to be ahead of the other. If you follow the sport and the commentary that comes with it, you'll understand that both teams’ strategy is majorly crafted on the basis of gaining an advantage over their rival, and only their rival. The determination falls to any point available that can put either Hamilton or Verstappen ahead, including the fastest lap point. The Mercedes’ team telling Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas to slow down to allow Hamilton to get the fastest lap is just another testament to their hunger.
I don’t know about Bottas, but a race car driver being told to slow down? You can shove your team orders where the sun don’t shine, mate. I’m joking. Not really.
Verstappen is finally a contender that has challenged and threatened Hamilton and Mercedes’ winning streak. And seeing as he is so close to winning his first championship with Red Bull, the determination to win clashes with Hamilton’s determination to defend which has seen the hostility between the two teams increase. Outside of the paddock, the wheel-to-wheel racing and constant shift of the championship leader is a sight for sore eyes for many F1 fans, regardless of whether you support Max or Lewis. But both drivers are racing hard and fast to the degree where both lives have been risked and this is only representative of the boundaries they are willing to push in order to win. The closer racing this season has completely eradicated the possibility of a comfortable win and it has introduced a new sense of exhilaration in the sport.
Final Thoughts
To give you a sense of what these principals are saying to each other, please feel free to refer to the dialogue below, accompanied by my personal rating of the quality of roast.
Following Mercedes’ call to dispute Red Bull’s “Flexi” rear wing, Christian Horner said... “I think if I was Toto with the front wing he's got on his car, I'd keep my mouth shut."
10/10, this is a good one Christian, well done.
To give context, Mercedes are always innovative with their car parts and if you aren’t aware, aerodynamics are a massive component in F1. Any changes that can make you even a thousandth of a second quicker is an enormous advantage that teams will complain about.
This is a short and sweet comment that sums up Red Bull’s frustration quite impressively. I definitely admire and respect Mercedes' genius in engineering, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t revel whenever they fucked up a pitstop or locked up while going around a corner.
Following that, Wolff replied to his comments by claiming that…“Christian is a bit of a windbag who wants to be on camera,”
7.5/10, You could’ve done better, Toto, but you’ve earned points for saying it funny.
In his defence, Christian is a bit of a windbag lol, but this feels a bit cheap to me. It resonates with a playground insult that doesn’t have much ground to be impactful. I sense that this retaliation is aimed more at Christian’s “keep his mouth shut” comment, but I feel like Toto could have driven it home with a hit to Red Bull’s integrity. But it’s okay, implement my feedback and improve. There’s always next time.
Writer's Bio: Arianna Khalidi is a student at UNSW studying a double-degree in Media (PR & Advertising) and Arts. As an avid sports enthusiast, she can usually be found watching a game of football, following an F1 race, or exploring an entirely new sport all together. Aside from supporting her team, Liverpool, she loves to listen to old school hip hop and R&B, read books, go on hikes, retweet memes no one else finds funny, and drink chai lattes.
