(Motorsports news) Verstappen broke the previous record in Monza last weekend with his tenth straight victory in a grand prix, and together with teammate Sergio Perez from Red Bull, they have won every race so far in 2023. Maffei, whose firm controls F1, claimed that Stefano Domenicali, the series’ CEO, is attempting to draw attention to the fact that Verstappen is breaking records as he extends his record run, and it is worth watching in and of itself.
At a Goldman Sachs-sponsored event, Maffei remarked, “The midfield is quite interesting, and we can show statistically there is more overtaking than has ever occurred. Max Verstappen is enjoying an incredible, or record-breaking, year. Stefano Domenicali is correctly attempting to change the subject by urging people to attend this historic occasion because they have never experienced success like it. We’ll see if it succeeds.
Maffei made light of the notorious ice skating incidents of 1994 when Tonya Harding was accused of taking part in an assault on competitor Nancy Kerrigan that was meant to ruin the latter’s prospects of competing in the US championships and ultimately the Olympics.
Tonya, a 2017 film starring Margot Robbie, tells the tale. Other than the fact that Max is so quick, we actually have a pretty appealing competitive offering, according to Maffei. I’m not sure what we can do about that—short of breaking his leg like Tonya Harding—to change that.
Yet Verstappen is a phenomenon. He appears to be operating the fastest vehicle, and Verstappen does so expertly. You can tell how aggressive his lines are by how well he can negotiate them while still taking them. It is absolutely beautiful. And statistical analysis demonstrates why he is faster than everyone else.
Maffei admitted that there are other indicators of F1 enthusiasm than television viewership. I believe you should consider the sport’s general popularity, he remarked. “Viewership isn’t quite strong. “We’ve had a lot of success this year. I believe that three of the top four races in the United States in terms of viewership all took place this year, and our average audience has increased year over year.
Also read: Norris: McLaren has improved with low downforce despite difficulties in the Monza F1 race
