© Vladimir RhysOne-Two KnockoutMax, Checo and the Team created the most successful season in the Team’s history. Here’s how it unfolded…
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It was a season like no other with records tumbling week after week, but there was one goal the Team had never achieved before in the 19 years of competition: a one-two finish in the drivers’ standings.
To have two drivers finish first and second in the championship isn’t easy. In fact, since the Oracle Red Bull Racing came into existence in 2005, only Mercedes have achieved this. But you know us, if we’re faced with a challenge then we’ll do whatever it takes to beat it.
The Bulls came flying out the blocks and, with five races completed, looked unstoppable. Max had three wins and two second-places to his name, whilst Checo had two wins and two seconds, with a P5 in Australia, being a ‘low point’. They had also claimed four pole positions and Checo had won the first sprint race of the season.
The standings at this point saw Max at the top with 119 points, Checo with 105 and Fernando Alonso in third-place, 30 points behind the Mexican Bull. The Team was also flying high, leading the Constructors’ Championship by 122 points!
Fast Start With A Double Podium© Getty Images
After a start teams can only normally dream of, there was a split in fortunes between the two Bulls. Max was flying high clocking up win after win, but Checo dipped in form. Looking back, everyone can see that it wasn’t a huge dip, but being next to a teammate that’s consistently at the front of the pack could cast a dim light on anyone. In the three races following the opening five, Alonso had eaten into the gap between him and Checo and it was just nine points after the Canadian Grand Prix.
This “dip”, that was perceived by commentors on the sport to be career ending, still saw Checo claim podiums, but it was his performances in qualifying that weren’t as strong as he’d seen previously. After Canada he claimed four podiums in the following seven races. He rebuilt his lead up over Alonso to 49 points, but as Alonso was fading, Lewis Hamilton was on the up and closing in on P3 in the drivers’ standings. After Singapore it was the Mercedes driver in P3, 43 points behind Checo.
Max Celebrates© Getty Images
The next race was Japan and it was to be a tough Sunday for Checo. He was clipped by Lewis Hamilton in the opening lap and then collided with Kevin Magnussen. This caused Checo’s first retirement of the season and the second race he finished without a point. Whilst this was seen as Checo’s “lowest point” in the season, it was the race where the Team claimed its sixth Constructors’ Championship – first goal reached!
A few races later we arrived in Mexico, which it seems everyone would like to forget. Checo qualified in P5 and it looked so promising at the start of the race until he turned in at turn one and collided with Charles Leclerc, which ended his race. You could see Checo’s pain and frustration with his head in his hands whilst his car was being wheeled into the garage. After the race, he said: “I go home really sad because of the result but proud of myself and my Team that we left it all out there, this is just racing, and this is how the sport goes sometimes."
With just three races remaining, Hamilton was only 20 points behind Checo and looking strong.
Max was crowned Drivers’ World Champion in Qatar after his 14th win of the season, completing the second goal the Team had set.
Max went on to win a total of 19 races in the season, something no driver has ever achieved in more than 70 years of Formula One racing, but it was down to Checo to stay P2 in the drivers’ standing and complete a historic season for the Team.
Driver Of The Season© Vladmir Rys
Brazil was up next and Checo finished a fantastic P4 in the race, extending his lead to 32 points. Now, with only two races remaining, all he needed to do in Las Vegas was finish ahead of Hamilton to cement his second place. The race was nothing if not dramatic for Checo (and everyone really…). On the opening lap, he had to take evasive action to avoid a spinning Alonso. As he did he hit the back of Valtteri Bottas and had to pull into the pits to replace his front wing. He returned to the action in P18, but he once again showed why you should Never Give Up, and over the 49 remaining laps he battled his way back through the pack and took the chequered flag in P3, behind Charles Leclerc and Max.
This result saw Checo claim his ninth podium of the season and in the process the Team’s first ever one-two in the drivers’ standings.
2 x Elvis and Charles Leclerc© Getty Images
In a season full of highlights, it was one of the sweetest. “I am very proud to secure the Team’s first one-two in the Drivers’ Championship tonight, it’s a massive piece of history for us,” said Checo after the race, adding: “It has been a very intense year, the highs in the year have been extremely high but the lows have been super low. As a driver and a human being to come back from those tough moments, is what I take the most from this season. Mentally it was very tough at times but we have managed to overcome all those issues and get the job done. Thanks to my Team and everyone who supported me.”
Christian's Postivity After A Record Season© Getty Images
It really has been a fantastic year!
Max VerstappenTeam Principal Christian Horner was also ecstatic after the race saying: “We are extremely happy for him and the team. It was a fantastic drive from both of them and it sums up the year we have been having. So, Max’s 18th win, a 20th victory for us and our first P1 and P2 in the Drivers’ Championships. It really has been a fantastic year!”
