The 2023 F1 season has been a walk in the park for Red Bull Racing. With the Italian Grand Prix postponed, there have been 12 races this season, and Red Bull has won all 12 of them. Max Verstappen, their main driver, has won 10, while Perez picked up the winner’s trophies on the remaining two occasions. While both Ferrari and Mercedes have made considerable upgrades to their cars, Red Bull’s Helmut Marko believes their contemporaries have made no progress.
Continuing from last year’s Abu Dhabi GP, team Red Bull has now won 13 consecutive Grand Prix. The last time a team other than Red Bull won a Grand Prix was at 2022’s Brazilian GP, where Mercedes’ George Russell took home the win.
Red Bull now stands miles ahead of their competition in both driver’s as well as the constructor’s championship. Max Verstappen leads the pack with 314 points and has a 125-point lead over 2nd placed Sergio Perez (also Red Bull). And Red Bull leads the constructor’s championship by a margin of 256 points. They currently have 503 points as opposed to 2nd placed Mercedes’ 247.
Helmut Marko has been a keen observer of his team’s dominance this season and knows no team will catch them. He also believes there is no single rival for them this season, as their competitors keep changing with every race.
Helmut Marko says Ferrari and Mercedes haven’t made any progress this season
Per express.co.uk, Red Bull’s chief advisor, Helmut Marko, claims their biggest competitors (Ferrari and Mercedes) have made zero progress despite bringing in various upgrades. Red Bull’s dominion over the rest of the field has been unparalleled this season, and Marko was pleasantly surprised to see his side do so well against the rest of ‘The Big Three.’
“I never expected to have such an advantage over Ferrari and Mercedes. We just developed our car, and we’re honestly surprised that the others haven’t done a good job. Both Mercedes and Ferrari haven’t taken a single step forward. That’s why we’re so far ahead of them right now. Behind us, our first rival is constantly changing. One time it’s Ferrari, another it’s McLaren and yet another is Aston Martin or Mercedes.”
To see these teams struggle is a relatively sorry sight, especially given their rich history. Ferrari enjoyed a run of constructor’s championships from 2000 to 2008 while also picking up the driver’s championship from 2000 to 2007. Meanwhile, Mercedes were unmatched as constructors from 2014 to 2021. They also picked up the driver’s championship from 2014 to 2020.
Red Bull has no primary rival this season
With Red Bull at the top of their game, no other team has managed to even come close to causing them trouble. No single team has been consistent enough this season to take them on. And Marko was observant enough to notice this as well. He claims they have no “set” primary rival, as each weekend brings them a new challenge. And he is not wrong at all!
On one weekend, it is Mercedes who is taking the fight to Red Bull. On Another, Ferrari tries its luck to try and defeat them. And on another, Aston Martin comes flying off, only to have their wings cut down. The margin of Red Bull’s wins has been huge.
The Bahrain GP saw a gap of over 38 seconds between 1st-placed Verstappen and 3rd-placed Alonso. While Leclerc crossed the finish line 32 seconds after the Dutchman in Spa-Francorchamps.
