F1 mailbag: McLaren’s progress, Aston Martin’s step back, and how fast is

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As Formula One prepares to sign off for the summer break at Spa this weekend, there are still a number of questions to be answered after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

McLaren’s second straight podium finish courtesy of Lando Norris, who again trailed Max Verstappen and Red Bull, came as a surprise to the team and fueled hope it could hold on to its tag as second-fastest through the rest of the season.

But how much of a long shot would it be for McLaren to be a genuine threat at the head of the field, if it can keep up its recent form? What happened to Aston Martin, the team that once looked most capable of ending Red Bull’s winning streak this year? And what’s the best place to get all the data for F1 races from home?

We answer all of that and more in our post-Hungary mailbag.

Editor’s note: questions have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

As someone who started watching F1 recently due to “Drive to Survive”, how has Red Bull’s dominant season compared to previous dominant seasons? Have we ever seen a season dominated so drastically? — Timothy H.

This is one of the most dominant seasons by a team in history, and there’s definitely a difference in dominance versus speed. The RB19, though, arguably is both dominant and quick as it continues to outpace the rest of the grid. In its latest outing, Max Verstappen finished a whopping 33.7 seconds ahead of Lando Norris, who took second, as Red Bull made F1 history with its 12th consecutive win.

It’s hard to compare one dominant season to another because regulations change over time. All-time greats like Ferrari’s 2004 car, Mercedes’ 2020 car and Red Bull’s 2023 car were built to different sets of rules, as Luke discussed earlier this season. What makes this year stand out is just how far ahead Verstappen is finishing compared to the rest of the grid, and even when Sergio Pérez is finishing second (or winning ahead of his teammate), there’s a decent gap between Red Bull and the rest of the grid. Red Bull nailed its car with the regulations that were introduced last season, and so far, there hasn’t been another car that has been able to challenge the Milton Keynes-based team. Just look at how it compares in wins, poles and fastest laps to some of the fastest cars ever:

I wouldn’t go as far as saying there won’t be another team challenging Red Bull until the 2026 regulations are introduced because that is a substantial amount of time until then. It’ll depend on how other teams’ development schedules progress — and how (if at all)…