The RACER Mailbag, July 10

Q: Dare we begin to even think that we are going to see an actual competitive F1 season? Seems to me that much has hinged on the teams’ first round of major upgrades: A for McLaren and Mercedes, C for Red Bull, and an F for Ferrari. One big question for me is, with the spending cap, who is going to be able to make further gains? Obviously, the teams are not going to share their cap space numbers, but do you have any inkling from pitlane gossip who might be in the best shape going forward?

I have to say that with an equalized field, Verstappen’s skill and the team’s excellence at execution may still give Red Bull an edge, at least for the drivers’ championship. But aren’t they vulnerable in the constructors’ championship?

Al,  Boston

CM: I’d argue we’re already well into one, Al! The first five races were not all classics, but Ferrari and McLaren both looked quick in Melbourne and I think they would have troubled Red Bull there. Then since Miami, every race has been competitive, so I’d say only four of the 12 rounds so far haven’t been.

The only issue is, Verstappen has built up such a lead and then executed most of the races really well, to the point that he’s looking comfortable for the drivers’ championship already. But there are still 12 rounds remaining, and big points swings could still happen with it being so competitive, plus Verstappen will take a power unit penalty at some stage.

You’re right that Red Bull’s vulnerable in the constructors’ championship, and it really needs Sergio Perez to start scoring heavily because the last few races could easily have seen that gap to Ferrari and McLaren become much smaller. And all of the signs are that they will both keep closing in with the car performance they have and both drivers in the mix. Don’t be totally fooled by Ferrari either, in that its first upgrade in Imola deserved a higher mark than you’ve given, but the latest one in Spain has introduced porpoising issues again, and might hold it back. If it can address that, though, Ferrari will win more races too.

Perez is under real pressure now, and these next two races are going to be crucial. If he doesn’t get a good result in at least one of them, I can genuinely see Red Bull replacing him in the summer break.

In terms of the teams that are in the best shape, I’d say McLaren and Mercedes. Both have drivers who score lots of points, and both keep adding performance that moves them forwards. Mercedes might be too far off from a constructors’ championship point of view, but Toto Wolff suggested there’s more upgrades coming at the next two races that could provide another step, and that’s from a team that just won the last two races and locked out the front row at Silverstone. As the fourth-placed team right now, it also gets more wind tunnel development time than its rivals as those allowances were reset on 30 June.

It’s almost guaranteed to ebb and flow between now and the end of this year, and probably carry into 2025 too, so even if we don’t quite get a close drivers’ championship fight over the next 12 races, I can’t wait to see how competitive it is on that front next season.

Q: I saw that Joey Logano replaced Hailee Deegan in Chicago. Is Deegan going to be fired by AM Racing?

Chris Fiegler, Latham, NY

KC: Hailie Deegan and AM Racing parted ways on Monday. The statements from both parties were included in the new story.

Q: Mark, can you find any pictures of Scott Dixon’s helmet and/or fire suit from last weekend’s Mid-Ohio race? I think this is the first time in a long time I’ve noticed a new helmet design.