The lead that Max Verstappen has built up in this season's Driver's Championship might be described as "unassailable".
At present, that description would not be mathematically accurate. He leads closest contender Charles Leclerc by 116 points. Leclerc could, theoretically, gain that many points on Verstappen in the remaining races this season. It's wildly unlikely, but it could happen. However, mathematically accurate and logically accurate are two different things, and it seems pretty logical to say Leclerc isn't going to catch Verstappen this year. The rest of the season is a matter of damage limitation for Leclerc and Ferrari.
As galling as it is for Prancing Horse tifosi, it's already a question of whether there is much that can be done for the 2023 season, because right now there doesn't seem to be a way to beat Verstappen and Red Bull. The Belgian-Dutch driver has won ten races this season, despite only being on pole four times. Those wins include races where he started seventh, tenth and fifteenth on the grid. It's beginning to feel as though the only way to stop him winning a race is to place a clamp on one of his wheels and require him to call a technician out to remove it. What are the challenges that face anyone trying to defeat him in future?
It's easier to win from a position of dominance
At the moment, one of the toughest challenges with Verstappen and Red Bull is that they know how to win. They win most races because they have the institutional knowledge to find a way of winning. Even if Verstappen starts fifteenth on the grid, he isn't out of the running because the team and driver have a gameplan and - even if luck plays a part - they always find a way to maximise that luck. When you are confident of winning, winning becomes easier. Other teams and drivers face the flip side of that: when you're struggling for a win, things seem to go against you more.
They eliminate errors
How many times this season have Ferrari and Leclerc been in a position to win a race, and seen an avoidable factor deprive them of the chequered flag? More than enough for it to be considered a habit. When F1 fans are betting on Cloudbet, they can be confident that the bookmaker's higher limits on parlays justify a bet on the driver and the team because while Leclerc has to get through dozens of laps without something going wrong, Verstappen just has to keep doing what he's doing. He's a modern Michael Schumacher - most people won't have him as their favourite driver, but he's mercilessly consistent.
Reputation breeds domination
At times, dominance in sport can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Tom Brady's Patriots won so many Super Bowls because teams both feared them and went out of their way to contain them. Brady had merely to focus on winning, while his opponents had to think about beating the Patriots. For Verstappen and Red Bull, it's a similar story. If they keep doing what they do, they'll likely win the race - and it's all the more likely if their opponents are busy thinking about how to beat Verstappen. If Ferrari were to fixate on getting the best technicians and Leclerc centred the issue of driving his best race, they might find the Verstappen problem fixes itself. Or it might not, because the driver and the team are just that good.
