Will Mercedes’ struggles continue?

After a disappointing 𒈔start to F1 ♎2023, Mercedes will be looking to improve in Saudi Arabia. 

Mercedes had a huge performance deficit to the front at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and appear no closer to winning races or getting back into title contention, something that will be hugely frustrating for 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lewis Hamilton in his bid to claim a record 🅠eighth drivers’ crown. 

Hamilton could only manage fifth in Bahrain, over 50 seconds behind Red Bull’s168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Max Verstappen, while teammate168澳洲5最新开奖结果: George Russell finished se💦venth as Mercedes ma𒐪de another poor start. 

The seven-time world champion, who is out of contract at the end of the year and yet to sign a new deal with Mercedes, criticised his team for not listening to him over the development of theiไr 2023 car. 

With Toto Wolff admitting Mercedes made a mistake in c𓆉ontinuing to pursue their ‘zero sidepod’ concept following a torrid 2022 campaign, the team once again appear to find themselves on the back foot. 

Mercedes are planning to bring a major uཧpgrade early in the season but those revisions won’t come in time for this weekend’s race in Saudi Arabia. Until developments a🅷rrive, it looks set to be a case of ‘damage limitation’ for the German manufacturer. 

Jeddah is expected to suit the W14 better than Bahrain and so a step forward in competitiveness couꩲld come, but Mercedes look miles away from challenging Red Bull and may find themselves behind Ferrari and A🐼ston Martin once again. 

Can Verstappen be stopped? 

Reigning world champion Verstappen was in a league of his own in Bahrain as he kicked off his 2023 title defence in crushingly do🏅minant style to lead home a Red Bull one-two. 

Such was Red Bull’s level of superiorit🧔y in Bahrain that some even suggested Verstappen could go on to win all 23ღ races this year. 

Red Bull had no real challenge in Bahrain, with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Charles Leclerc runni♏ng a distant third before his Ferrari gave up on him, while Aston Martin and Mer♎cedes were too far back to pose any sort of threat. 

Things may be different at the high-speed Jeddah street circuit, where t𒐪he strengths of Ferrari’s SF-23 should come into their 🐲own. 

Ferrari’s gap to Red Bul🎉l in Bahrain was partly exacerbated by struggles with tyre degrada꧂tion, however, that may not be as big a concern for the Scuderia around the less-demanding Jeddah track. 

Despite F♐errari’s troubled start to the year, Verstappen remains wary and is refusing to underestim🔴ate Red Bull’s rival. 

“Jeddah is going to be quite different,” he said. “Our car, it seems quite 🔯strong in high-speed, but I think Ferrari is quite quick on the straight, which in Jeddah, of course, is very nice to have, let’s say it like that.”

The Dutchman added: “Saudi is quite a different track to this one, you have a lot more straights, fast corners, and a lot less deg. And I think here we were particularly good on the deg. So I do expect in terms♛ of race pace that everyone is closer in Jeddah.”

Another podium for Alonso? 

Behind the Red Bull whitewash,168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Fernando Alonso stole the show 🌠with a brilliant charge to the podium on his Aston Martin debut. 

The 41-year-old rolled back the years with a pair of sublime overtakes on Hamilton’s Mercedes and Ferrari’s 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Carlos Sainz on his way to finishing ‘best of the rest’ in third behind the dominant Red Bulls.🎐 

Alonso was🐷 in phenomenal form and produced a starring drive in the second-fastest car at F1’s 2023 opener to underline the pre-season hype surrounding Aston Martin following an incredible turnaround by ༒‘Team Silverstone’ over the winter. 

Given Aston Martin had the pace to chall♚enge and beat both Mercedes and Ferrari in a straight fight in Bahrain, we wouldn’t rule out another rostrum appearance for the wily Alonso in Saudi Arabia. 

More misery for McLaren? 

McLaren endured a horrible start to the season with168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Oscar Piastri forced into an early retirement due to an electrical issue and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lando Norris nursing a pneumatics problem which resulted in him pitting🉐 six times on his way to a last-place finish, more than two laps down on Verstappen. 

Expectations for McLaren had already been lowered before a wheel was turned when new team principal Andrea Stella admitted the team was “not entirely happy” with their launch-spec car, before CEO Zak Brown revealed the team had missed some development🍸 targets over the w🌸inter. 

But following a tough pre-season test, things went from bad to worse for McLaren duꦆring a miserable opening race wee🧜kend. 

McLaren are convinced that all is not lost for 2023 but until new developments are introduced 🃏on the MCL60 as the year goes on, the Woking outfit are bracing themselves for a real challenge. 

Will their bleak start co🅷ntinue in Saudi Arabi🎃a?