George Russell declared it is "a shame" for Formula 1 that Red Bull are so far ahead of everyone else amid complaints from fans over a lack of competition.
The 2023 title race in the constructors' championship already looks to be over after just five races. Red Bull have won everyone one of them – their other driving finishing second in four of the five – and already have a 122-point lead over their nearest 'competitor'.
Below them, things are a little tighter. Four podiums from Fernando Alonso have propelled Aston Martin into second place but their advantage over Mercedes stands at just six points. Ferrari are 18 points further back in fourth but still well in the hunt for second place.
For fans who are bored over the lack of a title fight, Russell has some advice. "The competition we've got at the moment between Ferrari and Aston Martin, at every race we go to it's really close between us in qualifying, the pace is really close in the race," he said.
"It's obviously just a shame that there's two more cars well out in front. So, forget about those two and just watch the race for P3. It may be a bit more exciting."
Meanwhile, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton feels the responsibility for the lack of competition with Red Bull rests on the shoulders of the sport's top bosses. He pointed to the new car regulations which came into force in 2022 as a problem and suggested they have failed in their intention to bring the grid closer together.
The seven-time world champion said: "I'm challenged every single day to get back to the front, so it's definitely not boring from my perspective. But as a racing fan watching, I can understand because there's not as much competition as there perhaps is in the NFL or the NBA at the moment.
"That's not my doing – as a sport, they have already tried to bring the teams closer but it never seems to work. All I can say is that we're working as hard as we can to close up and get back and give them more of a fight."
Mercedes planned to introduce their first major upgrade package of the season this weekend, before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was called off. Instead, their new designs are set to debut a week later in Monaco.
