Red Bull are assured forward of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, hoping to lastly break their Grand Prix curse and proceed their relentless march to world championship domination as their rivals wrestle to maintain up with their tempo.
Red Bull haven’t received at Albert Park since former driver Sebastian Vettel claimed the 2011 race, however there could also be no stopping the constructor’s champions this yr on the lakeside circuit.
With Max Verstappen main a Red Bull 1-2 in Bahrain and teammate Sergio Perez flipping the order in Jeddah, Red Bull have been in a category of their very own this season, with the RB19 automotive dazzling with its pace and exhibiting ample reliability.
“It’s always nice to … experience Melbourne a little, although from a racing point of view, it has not been too kind to us over the years,” stated double defending champion Verstappen, who was compelled to retire final yr’s race as a consequence of a gas downside.
“The track is excellent with some high-speed corners, and one I enjoy driving, so hopefully, we can have a good race this weekend.”
“We just need it to be straightforward and consistent.”
Verstappen leads the championship by some extent from Perez, who received in Saudi Arabia by holding off the Dutchman as he roared again to second from fifteenth on the grid.
Formula One will hope Perez can hold the stress on Verstappen, with the opposite groups seemingly nicely behind the event curve.
This yr, an unprecedented fourth DRS Zone at Albert Park – between turns eight and 9 on the 14-corner structure – might play additional into Red Bull’s palms.
Racing onerous
Once-dominant Mercedes, whose drivers George Russell and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton completed fourth and fifth, respectively, at Jeddah, are “storming full steam ahead” to bridge the hole after realizing they acquired their automotive idea improper.
“The signs we are seeing back at the factory are promising,” stated group boss Toto Wolff.
“We are not where we want to be – but that won’t stop us from racing hard and giving it everything we’ve got.”
They may have enchancment rapidly in the event that they hope to retain Hamilton, whose contract expires on the finish of the season.
Speculation concerning the 38-year-old Briton’s subsequent transfer is already rife, with Ferrari seen because the probably vacation spot.
However, Ferrari have issues, with drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc lamenting a scarcity of tempo after ending sixth and seventh, respectively, in Jeddah.
Neither they nor Mercedes have a podium this season, upstaged by the much-improved Aston Martin and their 41-year-old twice world championship-winning driver Fernando Alonso.
Aston Martin have dismissed jibes from Red Bull that the AM23 is a duplicate of its automotive, regardless of sporting a Mercedes engine and gearbox.
That has hardly fazed them.
“We have a different concept to those two cars (Red Bull and Mercedes) although it’s true that visually all the cars look a little bit similar,” Alonso advised Spanish media.
Home followers will cheer a brand new Australian driver over the weekend, with the much-hyped rookie Oscar Piastri changing Daniel Ricciardo in McLaren’s papaya colours.
Ricciardo, now reserve driver at Red Bull, by no means managed a podium at Albert Park. Melbourne-born Piastri’s first house race is unlikely to succeed, with struggling McLaren but to attain some extent.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
