Former F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel has insisted Red Bull's dominance must not overshadow Max Verstappen's achievements in recent years. Dutchman Verstappen is well on his way to a third successive Drivers' title having raced to a 99-point lead over teammate Sergio Perez after winning eight of the opening 10 races. It has been a stunning continuation of the form that saw him set a new record for the number of races won in a single season last term, with that mark of 15 looking under threat given the dominance of the RB19. But whilst Verstappen has outperformed each of his rivals, including Perez in the same machinery, many have pointed to Red Bull's command at the top of the pecking order as a way to diminish his own efforts, something Vettel has rushed to defend. "You have to give him credit, he is performing fantastic. He is incredibly talented and makes no mistakes," four-time champion Vettel told media at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. "As soon as you drive at the front because you are doing well, people are quick to say that it is boring and that you win 'easily.' "But there is much more at play than just lap times. I'm sure Lewis Hamilton never had it easy during his dominant years, just as, for example, Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and myself never had it easy. "It is an incredible achievement to conceive and build a car that can beat the competition in every race weekend. The fact that Red Bull does well every weekend is due to perfection, consistency and the qualities of the team."
Anything is possible
Red Bull has been tipped to become the first team in F1 history to win every race in a season, with Mercedes driver George Russell making that claim after the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. "With this car, that chance is definitely there," said Vettel. "Reliability should never let the team down, no crazy things should happen and they have to survive all the first laps. "No team has ever managed to do it, although McLaren was close in 1988. So anything is possible, but we can only wait and see."
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