When Red Bull says it’s their domination in 2023 in Formula One, they mean each race ends with a one-two victory. The Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix both ended victoriously for Red Bull, first had Max Verstappen, and second, with Sergio Perez winning. The team missed not a single point that could be acquired. Except for the bonus points coming from the fastest laps at Sakhir that went to Fernando Alonso’s pocket.
Last day, at Jeddah, the fascinating thing to see was not that Sergio Perez won the race and Red Bull had double one-two wins. But the way Max Verstappen got P2 back from P15 was astonishing. It was something that impressed the seven-time world champion too. Rival Lewis Hamilton could not resist praising team Red Bull for making the fastest car that Mercedes never did.
The Mercedes star, who finished fifth in both the races held in 2023 so far, is now done giving fake hope to fans and praises to Mercedes. After the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Hamilton learned that the RB19 is “definitely the strongest car.” And this is something that even Mercedes could not build during its dominance last decade. “When Mercedes was fast, it was not that fast,” he said to the reporters.
Lewis Hamilton Did Not Try Battling With Max Verstappen Because The RB19’s Speed Was Unbeatably Massively High
Lewis Hamilton started the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix’s last day at P7. He managed to move two positions ahead till the finish line. On the other hand, Max Verstappen started it back from the 15, moving 13 positions ahead. Overtaking Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Fernando Alonso, the 25-year-old remained the main character of the weekend. When Hamilton was somewhere near P6 and P5, struggling for the podium, Max overtook him. And the Briton stayed confused with “how he came past me with such serious speed.”
With how Red Bull is succeeding in nailing every time they are coming on the grid, Lewis Hamilton started thinking, “That [RB19] is the fastest car I have ever seen as compared to all the others.” When Verstappen came near him, Hamilton dared not block his rival’s way. This is because he could see the massive speed difference between the Red Bull and the Mercedes W14 car.
Hamilton Gives Credits To Red Bull FOr What They Have Done
There is not only Lewis Hamilton who predicts a bright future ahead for the rival team Red Bull. Also, George Russell, who got a little tricked the last day, had already claimed that the team is compatible to win each and every race. He was given the podium from Alonso’s hand, but then it was taken and given back to the Spaniard. With this, Mercedes remained out of the top three contenders of the year.
Hamilton feels no shame in giving credit to “what Red Bull has achieved.” The gap that the Milton Keynes-based team had to the rest of the field on Sunday at Saudi was bigger than anyone has spotted since Mercedes in 2014. According to Briton, as he concedes, it is serious, such a serious gap that Red Bull is managing to make. And now, not only Mercedes but also Ferrari will have to work harder to figure out how to bridge the gap.
For Mercedes, understanding why Red Bull is so damn fast is impossible. As the team has already failed to make the right decision during the winter break, they lost it. However, “everything is not lost yet,” says the seven-time world champion assuring fans of a regain in performance.