Former F1 driver explains what makes Red Bull such a ‘scary team’ this season

F1 Grand Prix of Australia
Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Former Formula 1 driver Ivan Capelli has labeled Red Bull a "scary" team due to their ability to work on their weak areas, allowing them to dominate the grid for the second year in a row.

Red Bull have won all three races of the season so far, and it seems almost impossible to defeat them. The team showed signs of dominance in Bahrain during the pre-season testing itself and nothing has changed since, unlike other teams who were expected to compete against the Austrian team.

The team's extreme pace has been the talk of the paddock up until now, and Capelli feels that one of their biggest strengths lies in how they address their weakness. The team showed signs of trouble during the Saudi Arabian GP weekend, however, they still secured a one-two finish, with Max Verstappen making a whopping 13 overtakes.

According to the Italian, it is this ability of the team to work on their weaknesses so quickly and effectively that makes them "scary," which is apparent because if a team remains so effective in fixing their faults, it becomes almost difficult to beat them, given the aero advantage they already have.

"It is a frightening team, because it also knows how to manage difficult areas, such as the reliability of the gearbox and transmission in Saudi Arabia. If you have such clear strengths and weaknesses, you are scary."

Will the Azerbaijan GP witness any changes in the competitiveness of the grid against Red Bull?

Since the Chinese Grand Prix got canceled for the third year in a row, there is a three-week gap before F1 heads to Baku for the Azerbaijan GP. This break has given teams to think about their concepts and work on the development packages, and some changes can be expected at the next GP.

As Fernando Alonso mentioned earlier, teams will be bringing in upgrades for the race. At the same time, however, he only mentioned Aston Martin's competition with Mercedes, who are expected to recover from their current predicament this season.

Red Bull would in all likelihood keep up their excellent form as they did the previous season, and their successful start to 2023 only supports this. However, since there has been speculation about Mercedes adopting a different design concept, and Ferrari, too, bringing in major changes, Red Bull's competitors might just be strong enough to battle them.

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Edited by Shubham Banerjee
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