Team Red Bull is enjoying a smooth hegemony on the F1 grid at present. The team would hope to have a streak like that of Mercedes (From 2014 to 2021). As a result, they are now more than concentrated on winning the current season. And clearly, Red Bull is way ahead of the rest. They have won all the races so far. Max Verstappen has five already, and Sergio Perez won a couple. Moreover, there is a very good chance that they can win all 22 races (excluding the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix) this season.
Mainly because of a lack of competition from other teams. Moreover, the two other powerhouses – Ferrari and Mercedes, are struggling with their car to get the best performance. Despite a clear-cut dominance over the rest of the teams in Formula One, Red Bull has not enjoyed the cost cap era devoid of any obstacles. Red Bull had to pay a penalty of $7 million and a 10% reduction of the wind tunnel in 2022 for breaching the cost cap in 2021. Even then, they are way ahead because of well planning.
Red Bull Advisor Feels They Are Way Ahead Due To Forward Planning
Team advisor Helmut Marko feels confident about where the team stands even with all the cost cap breaching issues and punishments after that. Moreover, Helmut Marko does not believe there has to be any type of ceiling to the car’s potential. Fans expect to see Red Bull undergoes as many developments as possible since they have only 63 % of the time allotted to the wind tunnel. But Helmut Marko argues as he feels due to forward planning, that won’t be noticeable. Red Bull’s advisor told Sky Sports F1, “We are 2-3 months ahead of time. We have done the planning for a long time. Hence, we are relaxed about it.”
Red Bull’s champion driver Max Verstappen was 24 seconds faster than the P2 finisher Lewis Hamilton. However, a Red Bull advisor mentioned, “We did not use the hard tyre well.” But Marko feels it is essential to only look at the Red Bull’s car when there is some major issue. Adding to that, the Red Bull’s advisor mentioned, “We are relatively good at front. Hence, there is no reason to lose our calm.” However, only time will tell if Mercedes or other teams like Aston Martin or Ferrari actually catch up to Red Bull. Perhaps, that may not happen this season.
Helmut Marko Is Well Aware Of Mercedes’s Progress
On the other hand, Red Bull is well aware of the upgrades of their arch-rivals. Mercedes was impressive with new upgrades as they earned their first double podium this year. Sir Lewis Hamilton won his second podium finish this season after the Australian Grand Prix. He finished at the same P2 behind the same racer Max Verstappen.
George Russell finished at P3. The German team was indeed fast. They set some pretty good lap times. Mercedes was able to beat Aston Martin and Ferrari quite easily. However, Red Bull was still unreachable for the Brackley team. Unless the Mercedes W14 gets close to the RB19 car, Helmut Marko feels there is nothing to worry about.