With almost one-third of the 2023 F1 season gone by, Red Bull has established itself as the most dominant force in the sport. The Milton-Keynes-based outfit is yet to lose a race and is getting stronger with every run. However, as revealed by SkySports, Lewis Hamilton believes that Red Bull is yet to unleash its biggest edge.
In Spain, Mercedes managed to secure a double podium finish. It was an impressive recovery by the team, which was looking like the fourth or fifth fastest side on the grid after the first race. However, when compared to Red Bull, there was still a 20+ seconds gap by the end of the race.
Pole 🏁
Fastest lap 🏁
Led every lap of the race 🏁Max Verstappen with the Grand Slam in Spain 👏🏆 pic.twitter.com/IkNGJryyed
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) June 4, 2023
So, regarding this season, Red Bull could end the year without a defeat. They are in such a strong position that their claim to this year’s title is undisputed, with only a handful of races completed. But that makes things worse for the future.
Lewis Hamilton is scared about the damage Red Bull’s edge can do in 2024
After the Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton claimed that the thought of Red Bull forgetting this season at some point after securing the championship and start working on the 2024 car is scary.
“Lewis [Hamilton] was saying that the scary part is Red Bull can actually forget about 2023, sooner or later. And their attention going to turn to 2024. So they will get a head start in 2024,” Matt Baker reveals while speaking to Damon Hill and Rachel Brooks on the Sky F1 podcast.
In response, Rachel Brooks argues that considering Mercedes got the right springboard in Spain, even they can progress well for 2024 by going in the right direction as they have figured out the ‘route.’
Red Bull ready to push more
Well, these were the Imola upgrades the entire Mercedes team was waiting for, and they happened to reveal their potential in Spain. However, the Red Bull boss is not worried about the progress made by the Silver Arrows over the last few weeks.
He opines that his closest rival is still more than 20 seconds behind. On top of that, he boasts that Red Bull has some upgrades in the pipeline, which will further bolster the team’s pace.
So at least for this year, even Red Bull doesn’t think they have a threat to their hegemony. But with Mercedes getting the sweet spot after their multiple struggles, they are the only hope to add some competition in the grid, at least next year.
