Red Bull vs Mercedes: A genuine championship battle?

Red Bull and Mercedes stole the show at the season-opener in Bahrain. Both teams gifted fans with a nail-biting race from start to finish. An intense fight for first place, a close midfield battle and several overtakes set the stage for one of the most anticipated Formula 1 seasons in recent history.

One of the biggest takeaways from the weekend was the championship battle. Red Bull dominated all non-race sessions at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The team topped the timesheets in all three practice sessions. Max Verstappen then took pole position from Lewis Hamilton by four-tenths. However, the team from Milton Keynes could not convert their dominance into a victory. Pragmatic strategy decisions and a driving masterclass by Lewis Hamilton propelled Mercedes to the top step of the podium.

Red Bull will be concerned with their inability to win the race in Bahrain. The team will take consolation from being the fastest car on the grid, however, they cannot afford to lose more races from winning positions.

Mercedes, on the other hand, will take solace from their race win. Nonetheless, the team is well aware of the performance gap to Red Bull. If the Silver Arrows want to maintain their dominance in the turbo-hybrid era, they need to bring a faster car to the upcoming races.

Formula 1 travels to Imola for the second round of the championship. The weekend could be Red Bull's chance to strike back at Mercedes.

Mercedes on the back foot?

Despite Lewis Hamilton's win at the Bahrain Grand Prix, it was evident that Mercedes did not have the fastest car. With Verstappen taking pole position and then fighting Hamilton until the final corner, Red Bull demonstrated that they're ahead of the Silver Arrows on pace.

Mercedes were set back by the new regulations imposed by the FIA for the 2021 season. The governing body mandated shortened wheelbases for the cars. This directly affects teams with a low-rake concept at the rear. Mercedes are the pioneers of this design in the turbo-hybrid era. Although teams were notified of the rule change at the end of the 2020 season, Mercedes did not find it necessary to overhaul their car's aerodynamic philosophy. This has come to hurt the team.

Adding to Mercedes' worries, trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, said:

"I don't believe we're good enough in the high-speed, and there's plenty of that in Imola and Portimao, and that's one area where Red Bull have got an advantage on us at the moment."

If Shovlin's quote is taken at face value, it increases Red Bull's chances of making a strong overall start to the season. There is no doubt that Red Bull have the faster car at the moment. The team from Milton Keynes has historically done well at high-downforce tracks. This could spell danger for the reigning champions at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

However, Red Bull have worries of their own. The team found out that it takes more than a fast car to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix event. Red Bull must address their issues before the upcoming race in Italy.

Red Bull's second seat: A curse?

Gasly (R) and Albon (L) had disastrous seasons with Red Bull. Photo: Joe Portlock/Getty Images.

Considering Red Bull's pace and driver lineup, not much can prevent the team from challenging Mercedes to a genuine championship battle. However, the team has had a lingering weakness for multiple seasons now: their second driver.

Since Daniel Ricciardo left for pastures new, Red Bull have struggled to fill his shoes. The team has employed three drivers in three seasons since the Australian's departure. Red Bull opted to promote drivers from their academy at first.

Pierre Gasly was tapped for the seat alongside Verstappen in 2019. However, a disastrous campaign by the Frenchman saw him demoted to their B-team midway through the season. Red Bull replaced Gasly with another academy graduate, Alex Albon.

The Thai-British driver had splendid performances with Toro Rosso, which made him an obvious choice for the second seat. However, Albon struggled to match Verstappen's pace and was removed from the role after the 2020 season.

Gasly's demotion to AlphaTauri was a blessing in disguise for the Frenchman. Not only did he achieve his first podium, but the driver took the checkered flag at Monza in 2020, earning him his first career Grand Prix win. The Frenchman's performance with Red Bull's B-team raised severe questions. Gasly looked faster driving for the midfield team than he looked with Red Bull. His results convinced experts that the Red Bull was built to suit Verstappen's driving style.

If this is true, Sergio Perez - their new driver - faces the same fate as those before him. The Milton Keynes-based side cannot afford that. Red Bull need a No.2 driver to play wingman for Verstappen.

This was made clear at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Mexican started the race from the pit lane, which left Max Verstappen alone against the two Mercedes cars. This allowed the Silver Arrows to split their strategy and take the race win.

Red Bull needs to avoid this scenario in the future. It is in the team's best interest to develop a car that both drivers can feel comfortable in. Their current style of operations may win Verstappen the drivers' championship, but the team will not win the constructors' title.

Can Max Verstappen challenge Lewis Hamilton for the drivers' championship? Absolutely. Can Red Bull challenge Mercedes for the constructors' title? Not until they deliver a car that suits both drivers equally.