Will the Red Bull team – the current leader of the Formula 1 World Championship – be able to confirm its position in the next two rounds of the season in Jeddah and Melbourne?
Red Bull boss Christian Horner hopes his team will be able to build on its strong showing in Bahrain with the next two rounds of the championship in Saudi Arabia and Australia.
Although Red Bull largely dominated the first Grand Prix weekend of the year with a one-two finish in qualifying and a one-two finish in the race on Sunday, Christian Horner insists that F1 has only run at one circuit so far and that it will be some time before he knows if the RB19 is truly as good a machine as it was in the first round.
Red Bull pace genuine?
“The problem is that we only have one data package, at this track [in Bahrain], so we’re not taking anything for granted,” Horner said after Red Bull’s one-two finish in the opening round of the 2023 season.
“We’ll have to see in Jeddah, and Melbourne after that. I think once we’ve raced at two or three circuits we’ll have a much better picture of the strengths and weaknesses of our car and our opponents.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and driver George Russell were quick to say after the first race that Red Bull would win “every race” in 2023 because they are so far ahead of the competition.
But for Christian Horner, the situation in Formula 1 can change very quickly and Red Bull could very well see Ferrari, Mercedes or Aston Martin take over before long.
“You are never as good as your last race. Today we are heroes, but tomorrow it could be Ferrari, it could be Mercedes, it could be Aston Martin,” he insisted.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – round two of the 2023 Formula One World Championship – takes place this weekend from 17-19 March.
