George Russell reckons Red Bull will win every race of the 2023 Formula 1 season in the wake of Max Verstappen's dominant victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
And Russell believes his Mercedes team might even have to write off a lot of this year if it is to be competitive in 2024. Team principal Toto Wolff has been talking in Bahrain about scrapping the current car and working on a redesign after it became clear Mercedes cannot compete for regular wins.
And, after finishing a distant seventh to Max Verstappen in the first of 23 races this season, Russell seemed to agree. He said: "Red Bull have got this championship sewn up. I don't think anybody is going to be fighting with them this year.
"I expect them to – or they should – win every single race this season. We're here to win and if we've got to sacrifice some races or part of the season to give ourselves a chance to get a car that can fight – whether it's in the second half of the season or even if it's looking forward to next year – then that's maybe what we’re going to have to do because clearly we are a long way behind."
Russell finished two places behind Lewis Hamilton, who was slightly more upbeat than his team-mate but also hinted the car design needs a radical rethink. Hamilton said: "I gave it absolutely everything. I am generally happy with the race. I thought the team did a great job but, unfortunately, the car is not there at the moment.
"We know we're not where we need to be. And we know that this isn't the right car." Hamilton said the gap to Red Bull was "huge" and gave the impression that he does not see his Mercedes team closing that chasm any time soon.
But Verstappen was playing it cool, saying: "It very nice to get a first win in Bahrain but it is only one race and we will get a better idea after three. But I think we have a good race package... we can definitely fight with this."
Meanwhile, Mercedes chief Wolff was clearly agonised after the race as he described Sunday as "one of the worst days in racing – not good at all". He added: "We are lacking pace front, right and centre. That is a reflection of the test.
"The Aston Martin is fast, they deserve that. And the Red Bull is on a different planet. That is what hurts, because they are so far ahead. It reminds me of our best years, when we [were a second ahead] of everybody else. That is the benchmark. We need to put one step after another to come back. We can do that. We can, absolutely."
