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Lewis Hamilton said he has never seen a Formula 1 car with the speed of the Red Bull RB19, even at the height of Mercedes’ domination. Two rounds have now passed of the 2023 Formula 1 season, and already the signs are ominous for the likes of Mercedes and their chances of mounting a title challenge against Red Bull. Heading into the second race of the season, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Red Bull spoke of expecting a fiercer challenge from the chasing back after utterly dominating the Bahrain season opener. That was not what transpired though as Red Bull’s Sergio Perez took his first win of the season, while Max Verstappen went from P15 on the grid, having been eliminated in Q2 via a driveshaft failure, to finishing P2, 15 seconds up the road from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso at the chequered flag. And one of the drivers who Verstappen passed during his recovery effort was his 2021 title rival Hamilton. Hamilton would close the door on Verstappen at the final corner, but … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton: Red Bull are quicker now with RB19 than Mercedes ever have been

Sky F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz suspects that Red Bull’s mightily efficient DRS will be the next technical aspect to attract attention in Formula 1. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen would start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from P15 on the grid having dropped out in Q2 due to a driveshaft failure. The reigning World Champion was expected to gain many positions throughout the race though, such is Red Bull’s dominating pace advantage in race trim early in F1 2023, and that is exactly what Verstappen did as he went on to finish P2 behind team-mate Sergio Perez. That meant it was back-to-back one-two results for Red Bull to start F1 2023. And during Verstappen’s recovery up the grid, it was his overtake on Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton which drew a very interesting post-race line out of the Brit, who claimed that in all his years in Formula 1, those starting in 2007, he has never seen a car as fast as that RB19 as Verstappen shot past. And speaking to Sky Sports News, Kravitz spoke of a … [Read more...] about Ted Kravitz thinks all eyes will be on Red Bull ‘with 20mph straight-line speed advantage’

With both Red Bull and Mercedes taking partial credit for the Aston Martin AMR23, Fernando Alonso cannot see where either team is coming from. Aston Martin have been the surprise package at the start of F1 2023, jumping from being the P7 finisher in last season’s Constructors’ Championship to now having the second-fastest race car behind Red Bull. Alonso has joined the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez on the first two podiums of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, P3 finishes for Alonso on both occasions. And it was after the Bahrain GP when Red Bull started pilling in with the banter about that AMR23, claiming its design bares great similarity to their double title-winning RB18 of last season. “They say imitation is the biggest form of flattery, and it’s good to see the old car going so well,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, while Bahrain’s P2 finisher Perez would joke “we are all Red Bull drivers” when he, Verstappen and Alonso faced the media … [Read more...] about Fernando Alonso fails to see logic behind Red Bull/Mercedes copycat claims

Ferrari have reportedly resigned themselves to P2 being the best they can manage in the F1 2023 standings, before then following the Red Bull approach for next season. After Ferrari had led the Championship standings in the early stages of last season, it seemed almost impossible to imagine that it would be Red Bull who would go onto dominate, claiming 17 of the 22 grand prix wins on offer in 2022. Errors from Ferrari initially accounted for much of Red Bull’s gains, before especially in the second-half of the season, Red Bull developed a clear advantage in race pace as Ferrari struggled to control their issues with excessive tyre wear. Hopes were high at Maranello though that the team could regroup over the winter and come back for F1 2023 with an even stronger challenger, one “unprecedented in terms of speed” the CEO Benedetto Vigna even teased. However, if any F1 2023 challenger is worthy of that title right now, then it is the Red Bull RB19 which has been simply … [Read more...] about F1 rumours: Ferrari fight for P2 now with Red Bull esque-sidepods coming in F1 2024

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack says we should stayed tuned to F1 2023, as he does not expect Red Bull to stay so dominant. Red Bull truly have been in a class of their own in the early stages of the F1 2023 season, accounting for both pole positions and race wins on offer so far. Max Verstappen took pole and the win in Bahrain, before Sergio Perez pulled off that achievement in Saudi Arabia as the drivers ensured a Red Bull one-two finish in both races. Race pace has been an especially concerning strength for Red Bull, with Aston Martin, via Fernando Alonso, on both occasions joining the Red Bull duo on the podium, yet he is still to finish within 15 seconds of a Red Bull at the chequered flag in F1 2023. It already then is the case that a big performance swing will be needed if Red Bull are to be challenged under normal circumstances this season, though Aston Martin team boss Krack remains of the belief that the advantage can be whittled down. “The season is long. I … [Read more...] about Aston Martin boss delivers hope that Red Bull’s mighty advantage can be reduced

With the balance of power leaning heavily in Red Bull’s favour in this season’s early races, Helmut Marko has put that down to one thing: tyre wear. After last season’s dominance, Red Bull winning 17 of 22 races, the reigning World Champions have stepped up into another league this season with rivals fearing they won’t be beaten. So far they haven’t been, taking two pole positions and following those up with back-to-back 1-2 results to secure 87 of the 88 points that have been on offer. It’s been an impressive display with Max Verstappen 38s up on the third-placed car in Bahrain and Sergio Perez beating that same driver, Fernando Alonso, by 20.7s in Saudi Arabia. That weekend Perez took pole by just over a tenth ahead of Charles Leclerc compared to the three-tenths Verstappen had over the nearest non-Red Bull driver in Bahrain. That gave rivals a brief moment of encouragement, only for it to be destroyed in the race when Perez went unchallenged and Verstappen fought back … [Read more...] about Helmut Marko explains the one factor that sets Red Bull apart from the rest in races

A respected Formula 1 reporter has revealed that the Red Bull pit wall were on “tenterhooks” over the RB19’s reliability even during the team’s dominant one-two finish at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Red Bull’s reliability came under the spotlight at the recent Saudi Arabian GP as a driveshaft problem during qualifying forced World Champion Max Verstappen out of Q2. Although he recovered on race day to finish runner-up to team-mate Sergio Perez, completing Red Bull’s second one-two in as many races in 2023, Verstappen was heard airing another reliability concern over team radio in the closing stages in Jeddah. Verstappen’s problems in qualifying came after Perez revealed he suffered an unspecified mechanical issue in Friday practice in Saudi Arabia, with chief technical officer Adrian Newey also claiming that Red Bull’s dominant showing in Bahrain was not as easy as it looked after an unexpected reliability problem in practice. “It might have looked smooth on the … [Read more...] about ‘Red Bull were on tenterhooks over F1 car reliability even in Bahrain’

Damon Hill, the 1996 World Champion, is expecting Red Bull’s breathtaking straight-line speed when DRS is activated to get everybody talking in Formula 1. Red Bull claimed their second one-two finish in as many races at last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with Sergio Perez winning the race and team-mate Max Verstappen recovering to second from 15th on the grid. Verstappen’s Red Bull was noted for its prodigious speed in a straight line, the Dutchman breezing past the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton at one stage. It has been suggested that Red Bull have identified a clever way to gain more speed than their rivals when the DRS rear-wing flap is open. And with Hamilton claiming after the race that he has “never seen a car so fast”, Hill believes Red Bull’s trick will perk the attention of other teams. According to the French edition of Motorsport.com , when asked for his view on Hamilton’s comment, Hill said: “He said ‘the fastest car there’s ever been in Formula 1’. “I … [Read more...] about Damon Hill: Red Bull’s DRS advantage is ‘going to get everybody’s attention’

Christian Horner has recounted the time he orchestrated Guenther Steiner’s exit from Red Bull, when he was technical operations director at the team. Steiner was in the role from Red Bull’s formation in Formula 1 after the company bought out the existing Jaguar team, with Horner placed into the team principal’s role after productive meetings with Helmut Marko and Red Bull co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz. Horner had founded and run the Arden Formula 3000 team in the late 1990s, driving for them before the end of his on-track career – taking on ownership and team principal duties aged 25. Horner revealed he had been in discussions with Eddie Jordan over buying his eponymous team at Silverstone as he looked for a way into Formula 1, but those talks did not progress and it coincided with Red Bull confirming its future involvement in Formula 1. “I was looking to see how I could take Arden into F1. Bernie [Ecclestone] was pushing me towards the Jordan team,” Horner told the i . … [Read more...] about Christian Horner recalls nudging Guenther Steiner towards Red Bull exit door