Red Bull Racing

LEWIS HAMILTON has been told Mercedes are up to 12 MONTHS in development behind rivals Red Bull.The Brackley-based team have struggled to keep pace with reigning constructor champs Red Bull across the last two seasons.
Toto Wolff has warned Mercedes are ‘six to 12 months’ behind Red Bull’s car developmentCredit: Splash
It comes with Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes deal up at the end of the seasonCredit: AP
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have secured one-two finishes in the opening two races of the season.
Indeed, Hamilton claimed he had “never seen a car so fast” after Verstappen breezed past him on lap 12 of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, the 38-year-old has finished P5 in both races, while team-mate George Russell has finished P7 and P4 in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia respectively.
Consequently, Mercedes have admitted they need to look at changing their W14 car concept altogether, with “radical” changes set to be introduced.
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However, team principal Toto Wolff has warned the team remain at least half a year away from competing at the top of the order.
Wolff told reporters in Jeddah: “I think the lag is probably between six and 12 months, because that’s the time it really took for us to figure out what was actually happening with the [2022] car.
“That means we just need to double the development speed, a stronger development slope which the logic and rationale speaks for it, that we could have [it].
“[Red Bull’s] gains are going to be incrementally smaller if their concept is mature.
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“Aero-wise, wind tunnel time can help a bit but not hugely, and we’ve just got to get our act together.
“If we fundamentally understand where we need to put the car, then the steps are going to be large, but we need to be perfect.”
This time scale comes with Hamilton’s Mercedes contract up at the end of the season.
The seven-time world champion has been linked with Ferrari and Red Bull, though Christian Horner shut down such rumours from Red Bull’s camp.
Hamilton has so far DISMISSED talk of retirement, at least until he wins his eighth world title.
Hamilton will be hoping for better fortunes when the lights go out for the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. More

CHRISTIAN HORNER has ruled out a Red Bull move for Lewis Hamilton.The legendary Brit is attempting to win a record eighth world title.
Red Bull are not interested in making a move for Lewis HamiltonCredit: Rex
Christian Horner reckons Mercedes are on the verge of a comebackCredit: Reuters
Hamilton, 38, saw his last Formula One triumph come in 2020.
The Mercedes ace was hoping to make a fast start in the new season after seeing rival Max Verstappen scoop the last two trophies.
But Hamilton’s car remains an issue and has resulted in him taking successive fifth-place finishes.
There are now question marks over the ace’s future at Mercedes, with teammate Lando Norris also struggling to impress.
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And some reports claim Hamilton could make a stunning move to race alongside Verstappen at Red Bull.
Merc team boss Toto Wolff has even given his blessing for the switch after struggling to agree a new contract with Hamilton.
But Red Bull counterpart Horner has dismissed talk of a swoop by hailing Verstappen’s partnership with Sergio Perez.
Horner said: “What Lewis has achieved in Formula One is second to none, but we’re very happy with the drivers that we have.
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“They are committed as a pair not only this season but the next season as well. So I can’t see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis.
“I’m sure they [Mercedes] are going to sort their issues out – we’re certainly not writing him off yet.
“We’re hearing about big Mercedes upgrades, I’m sure Ferrari aren’t happy with their current position either. So we’re fully expecting things to converge quickly.
“Some of the racing has been fantastic and we saw a great race again [in Saudi Arabia] between our two drivers.
“If you have two dominant cars who are racing each other then I think that does create a spectacle in itself.
“But I have no doubt that the opposition will be coming back quickly especially as we come back into the European season when updates start to come through.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON claimed he had never “seen a car so fast” after Red Bull completed another annihilation.Sergio Perez took the chequered flag while Max Verstappen came from 15th on the grid to finish second, as this season is becoming a procession.
Hamilton has struggled to compete with the Red Bulls this seasonCredit: Getty
Verstappen and Perez have dominated the gridCredit: Getty
The Dutchman even pumped in a fastest lap at the death – on a knackered set of old tyres that was still a second quicker than the rest – to secure a bonus point.
It is incredible to think that Hamilton’s last victory in F1 came at this track back in 2021. Since then Verstappen has dominated in a remarkable change of fortunes.
But it was the manner in which he breezed past the Brit on lap 12 of this dreary race which astounded the seven-times world champion.
He said: “I’ve definitely never seen a car so fast.
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“When we were fast, we weren’t that fast. I don’t know how or why but he came past me at such a serious speed, I did not bother to block because it was a massive speed difference.
“Of course, everyone wants to see everyone closer but that isn’t the way it is, but that’s not my fault.”
The result was a reversal of the outcome of the opening race in Bahrain – but Verstappen’s bonus point means he leads the championship from his team-mate.
But the reality is this was another no-contest with Fernando Alonso coming third despite a controversial post-race penalty.
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The Spaniard was hit with a 10-second time penalty after his Aston Martin team failed to serve their earlier five-second penalty for an infringement on the grid where he was out of position.
As he came in to pit and serve his penalty, the Aston mechanics raised up the rear jack when the rules stipulate they cannot touch his car for a full five seconds.
It was an obvious slam dunk yet for some unfathomable reason, the FIA did not apply the penalty until after the race – much to Aston’s frustration – and F1’s embarrassment given Amin H. Nasser, president and CEO of Saudi oil firm, Aramco, had presented Alonso with his trophy on the podium.
The fall-out was spectacular but had an unexpected benefit for Russell, who was promoted into third place.
Alonso said: “Today is not good for the fans. When you have 35 laps to apply the penalty and you wait after the podium, there is something wrong in the system.”
In another incredible post-race twist, Alonso was later re-instated onto the podium after another FIA U-turn.
Hamilton cut a lonely figure before the race as there was no help from Angela Cullen, the bleached-haired assistant who had performed his pre-race preparations for the past seven years.
Instead of the New Zealander, the responsibility fell to a veteran garage hand known simply as Steveo, although he did not go the whole hog of holding back Hamilton’s braided hair while he put on his crash helmet.
Hamilton scooted down the pitlane, unaccompanied and wearing earphones, he made his way to the front of the grid for the national anthem.
And that was as close to the front he got, as this race turned into another Red Bull procession.
Despite qualifying down in 15th place to a drive shaft problem, the pre-race talk was still about whether Verstappen could challenge for a podium.
The consensus was unanimous – only not on for a top three finish but for the win.
By lap two, he had made up two places. By lap eight, he had made up three more as he started to power his way through the field.
Out in front Perez was keeping out of Alonso’s reach, with the Spaniard hampered by his initial penalty for being out of position on the grid.
Red Bull were cruising to another one-two finish, albeit for a little late drama when Verstappen told his team his car was making a high-pitched noise.
He need not have worried though, he was still going quicker than everyone else, so much so that Perez felt the need to get a hurry up at the fear of being gobbled up by his team-mate.
He did enough to come home in P1 while Verstappen completed the maximum points haul for the Milton Keynes-based team.
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Meanwhile, Merc boss Toto Wolff has refused to rule out copying his rivals’ designs as they look to get back to winning ways, despite being second in the constructors’ championship.
He added: “I don’t know if you can call it a Red Bull or Aston Martin concept. At the end of the day, if it looks like a double-decker bus we would do it if it was fast!” More