George Russell has suggested that Red Bull might be holding back from showing their full pace in races to avoid F1 potentially looking at ways to try and peg them back.
The RB19 is another phenomenal piece of engineering and design by Adrian Newey and his team, with it clearly the fastest car in the 2023 field.
Indeed, Red Bull have won all three of the opening races this season, with Max Verstappen taking two victories and Sergio Perez winning the other, and it is up to the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Aston Martin to try and reel them in.
Certainly, at the Australian Grand Prix things were a little more competitive at the front as Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton tried to take the fight to Verstappen but, once the Dutchman was in clear air in the lead of the race, he was up the road and away.
Despite their dominance so far, though, Russell has suggested that the Milton Keynes-based team is not showing its hand completely at the moment when it comes to the car’s pace, for fear of them potentially seeing regulation changes that might bring them back towards the chasing pack.
Quoted by the BBC over the Australian Grand Prix weekend, the British driver said:
“For sure they’re holding back.
“They’re almost embarrassed to show their full potential because the faster they seem globally the more the sport is going to try to hold them back somehow.
“Realistically, they probably have seven tenths’ advantage over the rest of the field.
“I don’t know what the pace difference looks like at the moment, but Max has got no reason to be pushing and nor has Red Bull. They have done a really great job, we can’t take that away from them, and we clearly have to up our game.”
Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal, played down George’s suggestions over the weekend, mentioning that Sergio Perez couldn’t afford to hide any pace as he recovered to P5 from a pit-lane start.
Ultimately, these comments are all part and parcel of the sport and Mercedes and co. need to try and reel in Red Bull, whilst the Bulls will be working hard to maintain their advantage for as long as possible over the rest of the season.
