Is Ross Brawn right to be worried about a 2014 dominated by Red Bull

Ross Brawn – Prophesy time ?

Mercedes boss Ross Brawn believes that fans could see Red Bull dominate the 2014 season of Formula One despite the sweeping regulations changes that are being introduced next year.

Brawn believes that Red Bull will be able to make the switch to the 1.6 Turbo V6 hybrids next year with ease as they seem to have solved the biggest problem that has been bothering over the past few seasons – the issue of straight line speed.

Straight line speed has always been a problem for the Red Bull Team with Vettel and Webber around 10km/hr slower on the straights. The Red Bulls though easily make up for that in their cornering speed and their ability to control tyre wear. However, Since the last updates were put onto the car, Vettel and Webber have been flying along the straights of the F1 tracks and have been able to match their rivals on the straights as well.

“Some of the performance I have observed they have gained in the second half of the year, it looks like performance that will translate into next year,” Brawn told AUTOSPORT.

He added “They suddenly have the car that sometimes tops the speed trap times, and they have never done that in years.

“They have managed to shed some drag off the car, so some of the car’s performance in certain areas of the track, if carried over in to next year, will make it very challenging.

“It is a new slate in many ways [in 2014], but I think you don’t unlearn things. So things they have modified with this year’s car will be applicable for next year.”

So is Ross Brawn correct about his assumptions or is it just the Fear of Red Bull overriding the senses before this season has even ended.

Well the way you should look at it stems from what Christian Horner himself had to say about the usage of the 2013 car as a testing bed for next year’s car. Horner spoke about the development of the 2014 car and here’s what he had to say

“While the championship jobs are done this year, whatever we achieve this year we can only benefit from next year,” he said.

“Our full focus in Milton Keynes is on the challenges of 2014, but there is still an awful lot we can learn [from the current car].

“The other teams are also involved in a battle for second in the championship. We are out of that and will be able to turn full focus on to 2014.”

Those words should send a chill down the collective spines of their rivals who were hoping for some respite from the Bullish menace that has trampled them underfoot for the past 4 years and there is a very good reason for that.

Red Bull have wrapped up the titles for the year and can now really concentrate on next year’s title defence. Even though there are some changes with regards to the Aerodynamics as well as the exhaust as well as the major power-plant change, there is no way that Adrian Newey will be looking to exploit them to the fullest so as to ensure that he designs yet another championship winner.

With a two-month jump start in full fledged preparations for 2014 over rivals like Mercedes, Ferrari and Lotus – all of whom are currently fighting over second place in the championship, and with that immense budget that they have under their belt – Vettel could easily run away with the championship again next year.

Ross Brawn could well be on his way out of the Mercedes pit wall(unless Niki Lauda does something about it), his parting words about his rivals could prove to be prophetic if they come true next year. If they don’t nobody should blame him, rather they should blame the team that gives you wings, because if they do not convert this resource transfer extra time into a good car next season, well those hopes of theirs to become 5-time consecutive World champions will go up in smoke, not something any F1 guy wants to see.