Red Bull threatens to wing it from F1. Again.

Readers of F1 gossip are familiar with Red Bull causing a fracas showing their displeasure when things don't go their way. After a race dominated by the Mercedes duo, the energy drinks company has once again threatened to leave F1. It's not like we've heard this story for the first time. In fact, Red Bull were singing the same tune this time last year when Mercedes was dominating back then too. So what were they saying back in March 2013? They kept quiet, which they would do when things are swell for the team. Red Bull kicked off the season with another championship winning car, after securing a hat trick of world drivers championships and constructors titles. Later that year, they added another score to each tally. So why the sudden change of tone?

F1 is an expensive sport. In the first race of the 2015 season, only 11 cars managed to complete the race, half as many the starting grid from last year's season opener.  The dwindling number of participants shows it is hard for back markers to survive when the payment structure favours the winners by quite a margin. Chances are Mercedes has a larger budget for this year than most, if not all rival teams. They already have a dominant power unit so further investments is going to increase the gap between the rest of the field unless the rules are amended.

Red Bull has enjoyed the privilege of being the top team for four years. Their reign only ended due to the regulations overhaul in 2014, seeing the sport utilising turbocharged V6 units amongst other changes. Mercedes are only moving into their second year of domination and it is uncertain they will hold their advantage for the rest of the season with engine freezing opening up mid-season. Red Bull only waited until the end of the first race to say they are going to consider throwing the towel. Talk about sour grapes.

I am a huge fan of Lewis Hamilton and seeing him win is great, but domination does make F1 less interesting than it could be. It's nothing new though, the Schumacher era springs to mind. However, most viewers would rather have multiple teams fighting for the championship; unpredictable races makes the sport more exciting for spectators. Ideally, I would prefer if the gaps between (at least) the top 3 teams were lower, perhaps within half a second of each other. Victories would feel more exciting if Lewis Hamilton won from racing other teams rather than lifting and coasting in first place for the duration of the Grand Prix.

While there are improvements to be made to improve the F1 spectacle, it seems unsporting from a multiple title winning team to want to leave a sport after not winning a season. Good thing iconic teams such as Ferrari and McLaren do not share that ethos.