Formula E chief executive Geoff Dodds has once again set his sights on F1, warning that the sport's fan base could be “disappeared” as a result of the current dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
Red Bull, who won a record 21 of 22 races last season, made the perfect start to the new season with back-to-back one-two finishes for Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Max Verstappen's dominance invites further F1 criticism
Verstappen's victory means he has now won 46 of the past 69 races dating back to the start of his first title-winning season in 2021.
A win at next weekend's Australian Grand Prix will see the 26-year-old equal his own record of 10 consecutive wins, taking him just six months past Red Bull icon Sebastian Vettel's 2013 record of nine consecutive wins.
This September marks the 10th anniversary of Formula E's first race, and the all-electric series has had eight different driver's champions in its first nine years, all but two of whom have competed in F1. be.
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F1 2024 Drivers Championship standings without Max Verstappen
Dodds recently vowed to donate $250,000 to the charity of the driver's choice after defeating Verstappen to win the title in 2024, and the Red Bull driver said he was “absolutely confident” he would win a fourth consecutive world championship in 2024. It is certain that it will happen,'' he claimed, drawing attention.
And after Verstappen made a strong start to the new season, the Formula E boss mocked the lack of competitiveness at the F1 front.
According to the Dutch edition of RacingNews365, he said: “In nine seasons, we've produced eight winners. Almost every season, it lasted until the final race of the season.
“And if you look at London last year, there were three drivers and three teams that could win the championship by the final race of the season.
“It's very intentional. We know that fans like competition, and when that competitiveness goes away, so does the fan base, so we're very keen on keeping it competitive. I'm particular about.
“I recently made a bet, which some of you may have seen, in which I talked about a guarantee that Max Verstappen would win.
“At the time, many people said I was being unreasonable, but think about it now.
“He won two out of two races. And the question now seems to be can he win all 24 races?
“We don’t want to be that sport.”
Dodds' comments came after ESPN broadcaster Pat McAfee called Verstappen “Vanderstoppen” and claimed F1 had become “so boring to watch.”
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