04 January 2023 , 21:15
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The 2022 Formula 1 season remained entertaining despite the complete dominance of Red Bull and Max Verstappen, according to Zak Brown.
Last year always had a lot to live up to. It came after one of the tightest and most entertaining title fights the sport has ever produced, which ended controversially when Verstappen pipped Lewis Hamilton to the crown on the final lap of the season finale.
The title race in 2022 wasn't anything near as close. The Dutchman looked set to go toe-to-toe with Charles Leclerc who started strongly but, as Ferrari spluttered and stalled, Red Bull pulled well clear and, along with their driver, set new F1 records that anyone will do well to match.
The lack of a genuine title race – and the fact it came in the wake of one of the best the sport has ever seen – has led to some labelling the 2022 campaign as a "boring" one in hindsight. McLaren chief Brown disagrees, claiming it still had a lot more entertainment than some seasons of yesteryear.
He also compared what we witnessed last year to the era in which Michael Schumacher was king of F1, and is of the opinion that things are much better for the neutral fan these days. "The racing was great and, while the season was absolutely dominated, it didn't feel like a boring season at all," the American told RacingNews365.
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"If I go back to when Schumacher dominated, the races were a yawner from the word go, whereas these were all exciting. They looked and felt a lot more exciting than the results look on on paper."
Some feel Michael Schumacher's Ferrari dominance made F1 "boring" in that period (AFP)Overall, it was a tricky year for Brown's team. McLaren came into it having won the midfield battle for fourth place the previous season, but a temperamental car and Daniel Ricciardo's struggle for consistency led to them being beaten to that position by rivals Alpine.
The new car regulations which came into place for 2022 makes it difficult for Brown to assess where his team stands compared to before. He added: "All of our competitors had podiums in 2021 and we were the only team to get one outside the big three [in 2022] so, from that perspective, we kind of have two data points.
"Are we closer to Mercedes? Because they've got the same engine and, therefore, they're a comparison and we were closer to Mercedes this year. So, in that sense, it was a step forward, but we were further away from pole position than we were in 2021."