Fernando Alonso has poked fun at Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Australian Grand Prix after the Mercedes driver claimed that Red Bull’s RB19 is the fastest car he’s ever seen in the sport.
“I have definitely never seen a car so fast,” Hamilton said after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. “When we were fast, we were not that fast. It is the fastest car I have seen, especially compared to the rest.”
Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner responded to Hamilton’s claim by stating that he was flattered to have received such praise from the seven-time world champion.
“Well, it’s very flattering particularly considering some of the cars Lewis has driven in recent history,” Horner told reporters. “We’ve got a great car. RB19 is a fantastic starting point for the season for us.”
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However, Aston Martin’s Alonso has dismissed all of the praise about Red Bull’s pace, claiming that Hamilton’s comments mean he must have a “short memory.”
“[In Saudi Arabia] I finished 20 seconds behind Checo [Perez] and Max [Verstappen],” Alonso said. “[Hamilton] and [Nico] Rosberg were a minute ahead in 2014 and 2015…He has a short memory. He’s getting old!”
Alonso chased both Mercedes home in 2014 for the final podium place in that year’s Chinese Grand Prix.
The 2014 Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid was seen for many years as the most dominant car to ever appear on the grid, having a strong power unit and significantly reduced rear end downforce.
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Some in the paddock have claimed that the RB19 could steal that title from the 2014 Mercedes after Red Bull stormed to back-to-back one-two finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Even a retirement in qualifying, forcing Verstappen to start in 15th place, couldn’t stop the Dutchman gliding past the rest of the field around the Jeddah Cornich circuit.
The impressive performance has left some fearing that Red Bull could be on course to win every race on the calendar unless its rivals can introduce significant upgrades.