A three-way title battle? Well, that was wishful thinking. Formula 1 heads to the second grand prix of the season in Saudi Arabia this weekend in a collective state best described as sober – and that has nothing to do with the kingdom’s ban on alcohol. The big question in Jeddah is not whether Max Verstappen will win again but rather by how much, such was Red Bull’s domination in Bahrain. The double world champion was imperious in the night-race opener as Sergio Pérez recovered from a sluggish start to secure a one-two.
Red Bull deserves full credit for the way it has shot out of the blocks this term, but it’s a bitter pill to swallow for rivals Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG, not to mention for F1 as a whole. Hopes of a tight multi-team battle for honours in this sophomore year for the supposedly racier ground-effect regulations had been undermined by what was learned in the pre-season test and then confirmed by events at the first race: Red Bull is operating in its own league right now.
DARK MOOD DESCENDS
Charles Leclerc struggled to find any positives in Bahrain after Ferrari fell back on its 2022 default setting and let him down on reliability. On one-lap pace, he might well have a car that can add to his impressive record of pole positions, but on race distance it looks bleak. The Monégasque ran second beyond the first pit stops, but Pérez had little trouble hunting him down and sweeping past on lap 26. When the Ferrari’s power suddenly died on lap 41, it was a final kick to the gut.
Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were glum too. For a moment, Hamilton looked like he might threaten the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz for fourth, but he just lacked pace. Meanwhile, Russell, who had outqualified Hamilton, lost his battle for sixth with Lance Stroll, the Canadian driving for an Aston Martin team that has leapt from a distant sixth in the standings last year to third on current form.
Mercedes has persevered with the waisted-sidepod aerodynamic concept that led to its downfall last year, a decision that has left its design team open to insinuations of a dogmatic approach. Is there too much pride in this team after so many years of success? Already team chief Toto Wolff has admitted something “more radical” than a simple aero upgrade will be required – but as he knows, that’s easier said than done in this era of the budget cap.
Hamilton finished a full 50 seconds off Verstappen at Sakhir as Wolff labelled it “one of the worst days in racing” from his perspective.
