Red Bull’s relentless run continues as the team registered yet another 1-2 this past weekend in Saudi Arabia. Max Verstappen registered his second victory for the team this year, while Sergio Perez finished second in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Despite such a dominant performance by the team on two very different tracks, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko fears that “Ferrari is getting closer”.
As quoted by Junaid on Twitter (now X), the Austrian said, “We had more degradation than we expected with the hard tire, and Ferrari is getting closer”. The 80-year-old then explained how he was still happy with the performance of Red Bull on two very different tracks.
However, he did warn the team that they may not be able to continue such dominance in the upcoming races. While Verstappen was way clear of the chasing pack in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Perez was not as comfortable.
The Mexican beat Charles Leclerc in Saudi Arabia by over five seconds, while he beat Carlos Sainz at the opening race in Bahrain by less than three seconds. However, Perez did seem to provide a more assured performance in Saudi Arabia.
Despite receiving a 5-second penalty because of an unsafe release, he beat Leclerc without any significant concerns. Since Red Bull have been so dominant until now, it seems strange that Marko believes that the upcoming races could be more of a challenge for his side.
Why the likes of China and Japan could provide Red Bull with a challenge?
One key advantage that Red Bull have over their rivals is their straight-line speed. Since both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have long straights with DRS zones, it was relatively simple for both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to build a gap over the rest of the field.
Since Australia also has four long straights, the Milton Keynes-based outfit are likely to have the advantage once again. However, things could prove more tricky for them when they visit the Chinese and Japanese GPs.
The Chinese GP could prove tricky for them simply because it has been five years since F1 visited this race. Still, given how the Shanghai circuit has long straights despite some twisty corners, the RB20s could use their top speed and DRS advantage to full effect. As for Japan, Red Bull will face the challenge of slow and medium speed corners coupled with unpredictable weather.
However, if there is any driver who is not afraid of a challenge, it is undoubtedly Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has been in a league of his own since he is currently on a nine-race winning streak. This is the second time in his career that he has won nine or more races in a row, having won 10 in a row last year from the Miami GP to the race at Monza.
