The story of the 2023 season is, undoubtedly, the dominance of Red Bull’s RB19, with the car looking unbeatable whatever track it appears on.
With Max Verstappen hoping to secure a third consecutive Drivers’ Championship, the Dutchman has secured four Grand Prix victories, while his teammate Sergio Perez has taken the other two.
The impressive partnership has also seen Red Bull secure four 1-2 finishes out of five races, putting them over 100 points ahead of their closest rivals Aston Martin.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner recently offered a scathing assessment of his rivals, questioning whether Mercedes and Ferrari are able to find the pace needed to end their stranglehold on the sport.
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1996 Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill backed Horner’s criticism of his rivals, accepting that, so far, no one has managed to get on Red Bull’s level.
“Christian is someone who likes to rub salt in the wounds but saying that everyone else has underperformed – he’s right,”Hill told the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
“The Red Bull and that team have produced an absolute peach of a car they have exploited all the loopholes and regulations so everyone else has underperformed he’s right.
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“It’s a legal car but it’s beautifully put together. I was watching Max drive in Miami and I thought ‘that car can do anything’. It’s so beautifully balanced.”
With its clear performance advantage over the rest of the field, some have questioned whether the RB19 could be the greatest car in the history of the sport give its potential to secure every race win of the season.
Verstappen’s flawless victory in Monaco has allowed him to extend his advantage over Sergio Perez to 39 points, as the Mexican endured a torrid weekend.