P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Max Verstappen is already being tipped as the heavy favourite for the 2024 Formula 1 world championship after a strong start to the campaign.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff emphasized that Formula 1 remains exciting despite concerns of boredom due to Max Verstappen’s dominance in recent seasons. Verstappen secured his second and third world championships in 2022 and 2023, and has continued his strong performance in the current season with four pole positions and three wins in the first four rounds. However, a brake issue in Australia prevented him from a clean sweep of victories. Despite Wolff’s prediction that “no one will catch Max this year”, he believes there is still potential for close competition, especially with Ferrari showing strength. Mercedes, struggling with the current car generation since 2022, currently sits fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. Despite this, Wolff finds the battles among the teams behind Red Bull, particularly Ferrari and McLaren, to be engaging and is focused on improving Mercedes’ performance to challenge them.
