Brian Garcia24 said:I honestly don't know what people are looking at if they have working eyes. Ferrari dominates qualifying, sure, but they’re better in the race too. Ferrari has had the better pace in practically every single race this season. Seriously, if they hadn't dealt with breakdowns, driver errors, or strategic blunders, Ferrari would have literally won EVERY race this season. In every single race where Max took the win, one of those three things—or a mix of them—handed him the victory, while the car's raw pace was always on Ferrari's side. It’s unbelievable how anyone can miss that.
So, look: Sainz wins in the United Kingdom, then Leclerc takes wins in Australia and Bahrain. In Canada, Sainz is breathing down Max's neck, clearly faster, but just can't get past... plus the SC probably screwed him over too. Leclerc isn't even in the running because of component changes (if he were, Max definitely wouldn't be able to hold off both of them). Then there's Azerbaijan with both Ferraris breaking down, Monaco with those tragic strategic calls and terrible communication, and Spain where Leclerc's engine failed (thanks to Team Management). Miami saw a Leclerc error and Max overtaking, then Saudi Arabia was a scrap between Max and Leclerc with a few mistakes from Leclerc (that's the race where Red Bull was closest). And don't forget Italy, where Max does his usual thing dominating in the rain, while both Ferraris have desperate starts, Sainz gets unlucky, and Leclerc gets stuck behind a McLaren before being visibly faster than Perez but then messing up and losing everything. That's all the races right there! Maybe one or two where the pace was equal or Red Bull was slightly quicker, but Ferrari was faster in the vast majority of races.
Ferrari had an edge at the start of the season. Their last race where they actually had a significant advantage in the race was Australia. Though, before that, there was Saudi Arabia where straight-line speed is the deciding factor, and back then, Red Bull was miles ahead of Ferrari in top speed.
Since then, every single race (not qualifying, I mean actual races) has belonged to Red Bull, so you're dead wrong if you claim Ferrari has been stronger all season. It's the exact opposite. Look, Max is a hell of a driver, nobody's disputing that. But the car accounts for at least 60% of the success.
When you throw strategy and pit stop speed into the mix—like others have already pointed out—plus the fact that Ferrari keeps breaking down, you get that massive gap in the points standings.
It seems to me that some Red Bull fans, like yourself, aren't satisfied just seeing their driver win; they only value a victory if it's a "David vs. Goliath" situation. That's why every single season you push this narrative that Max is winning in an inferior car.
Max didn't even have an inferior car last year (maybe at the very end of the season when Mercedes pushed their engines to the limit), and he definitely doesn't have an inferior car this year.
This year, his path to the title is the easiest it's ever been. Partly because of the car, and partly because of Ferrari itself. If he somehow manages to lose this championship, it's entirely on him.
