“Red Bull are still far away”: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claims the WCC won’t be ‘easy to catch’

Toto Wolff is trying his hardest to maintain his optimism that Mercedes will eventually catch Red Bull in the 2023 Formula 1 season.

At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Red Bull once again dominated as Sergio Perez won and Max Verstappen advanced from 15th on the grid to second.

Although Fernando Alonso received a post-race penalty, the Silver Arrows finished third with George Russell but were approximately 30 seconds behind the two Red Bulls at the finish. However, Alonso was reinstated to third place after Aston Martin appealed the penalty.

Toto Wolff told the media:

“The direct competitor (Red Bull) is very far away, that’s not something that is going to be easy to catch. Today, we have seen directionally that our development is heading the way we want it to go."

Lewis Hamilton rounded up a solid evening for Mercedes by finishing fifth, despite being only three-tenths of a second behind Alonso when his penalty was issued. The seven-time world champion was disappointed with the hard tires and then had to carry his mediums a long distance to the finish line due to an early safety car, but he has more serious concerns.

Hamilton said during the post-race interview:

"If I had qualified better then maybe I could have got a better result, but we still got some points. My set-up this weekend has been the biggest issue I've faced. I got it wrong for qualifying and it wasn't good in the race either, so I struggled today."

Hamilton drew positives from the weekend in Saudi Arabia, which left Mercedes equal on points with Aston Martin coming into Australia. Mercedes' other driver, George Russell, was momentarily upgraded to third from fourth at the checkered flag until Fernando Alonso's podium was reinstated.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal, congratulated both of his drivers but agreed that there was still pace left on the table in Jeddah. He referred to Mercedes' concerns about tire deterioration, which caused them to finish third in the season opener in Bahrain, which is regarded as a rougher circuit on tires than Jeddah.

---

2023 Red Bull is the most dominant F1 car I’ve seen, says Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton

This year's Red Bull is, according to Lewis Hamilton, the most dominant Formula 1 car he has seen in his career.

The seven-time world champion saw firsthand the sort of advantage Red Bull had when Max Verstappen easily passed him during his Saudi Arabian Grand Prix recovery. Hamilton, who finished fifth in Jeddah, was astounded by the strength of Red Bull's advantage over the competition this year.

The Briton said (via Motorsport):

"I’ve definitely never seen a car so fast. I think when we were fast, we weren’t that fast. I think it’s the fastest car I’ve seen, especially compared to the rest."

The seven-time F1 world champion claimed that Red Bull's lead over the competition was far higher than anything he and Mercedes had experienced during their dominant periods in the early turbo hybrid years.