Red Bull rivals set for title tussle as Lewis plays down Mercedes spat

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen are the men to beat (Picture: Getty)

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen are the men to beat (Picture: Getty)

Following a perfect score for Red Bull Racing from the opening rounds, with one win each for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, will anyone be able to crash the party Down Under?

Fernando Alonso is best placed. With third places in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the Spaniard hasn’t been this on it at the start of a season since 2010.

The Aston Martin has had the edge on Ferrari and McLaren. However, it will require a major issue for Red Bull for a green car to get ahead of them in Australia and stay there.

Ferrari have strong form in Melbourne; Charles Leclerc was the last winner at Albert Park. So, after a sluggish start, might we see the prancing horses bolt out of the traps at last? Fourth in the standings is not where anyone expected them to be.

Given Red Bull is half a second a lap quicker than the competition, Verstappen’s closest rival this season is likely to be his team-mate. Perez says the team is no longer about one car, and he’ll have the same tools to challenge.

‘Things were very different [in the past], they were just going racing with two cars because they had to. I can say now I really feel part of the team. I really feel like I have my own place, and I am well respected,’ he said.

‘I really believe I have the full support of the team and that I will have every single opportunity to win the championship as much as Max.’

Verstappen has, to this point, wielded more power within his team than any other driver. With such a competitive RB19 car, could his clout be reduced? Perez certainly hopes so. For his part of him, Verstappen blames his second place in Jeddah on illness. ‘It was one of the first races where I just felt like I was physically limited,’ said the reigning world champion.

‘It felt like I was missing a lung. I got to the weekend really believing it was gone. In FP1, even after one performance lap, I had to recover for two laps just to breathe normally.’

His rivals should not get too excited, though. ‘It has improved a lot. This weekend should be alright.’ Mercedes have not scored a podium yet, with George Russell’s fourth place in Saudi their best of the season so far.

He has beaten Lewis Hamilton in each of the opening rounds, in both qualifying and on Sunday. Lewis commented it was down to ‘luck’. This has led to a mini spat between the Brits.

George Russell has had the edge on his Mercedes team-mate (Picture: Getty)

George Russell has had the edge on his Mercedes team-mate (Picture: Getty)

‘I don’t think there’s any luck in it at all,’ countered George. ‘I think it’s down to the preparation you put in before an event.’ He claims he got the set-up right and Hamilton didn’t.

Russell finished ahead of Hamilton in last year’s championship, to add insult to injury. Hamilton, along with team principal Toto Wolff, repeatedly suggested in 2022 his willingness to experiment with alternative set-ups on the troublesome W13 car was the reason he lost ground to Russell.

Hamilton is now trying to play down a potential rift. ‘I want to reiterate how great a job George did last weekend,’ said the seven-time champion. This is an interesting subplot for the season. The senior man seems a little irked, and Russell is standing his ground.

George is the 38-year-old’s best buddy compared to Michael Masi, the former race director whose controversial decision-making in Abu Dhabi in 2021 led to Hamilton losing the title to Verstappen. Masi, who is Australian, was in the paddock yesterday – the first time he has been since his sacking of him in February last year. Hamilton will not be seeking him out. ‘There is nothing to say. I am just focused on my future.’

As for any potential team change when his contract ends in December, Lewis says he will always be loyal. ‘I see myself being with Mercedes until my last days, like Sir Stirling Moss.’

Fernando Alonso has had his problems on the start line (Picture: Getty)

FIA box clever after start infringements

With two drivers penalized in the first two rounds for starting outside their grid box, the FIA ​​has widened the boxes in Melbourne by 20cm in the hope the drivers can see the lines more easily. They’re also trialling a central ‘guide line’ paint marking.

Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, the two who’d been caught out, say it won’t make much difference. ‘You approach the box looking sideways, so you’re not looking forward,’ explains Alonso.

‘There’s going to be some circuits, Monaco and Imola, that you start a little bit sideways anyway [so the central line is meaningless]. But the 20 cm will help, I guess’.

Ocon predicts there will be further start infractions this season, due to the lack of cockpit visibility. ‘There’s going to be a lot more cars that are going to be penalized this year, that’s for sure,’ he said.

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