Red Bull must be sharp next year: 'Dominance not quite as Mercedes'

Red Bull Racing left virtually nothing untouched by the competition this season. While Max Verstappen took the world title, the Austrian formation also won the Constructors' Championship. Damon Hill, however, wonders how great the dominance really is.

The former Formula 1 driver thought it was clever how Red Bull beat their rivals. Ferrari had a strong start to the season, but soon had to drop out. At Mercedes, porpoising problems arose early in the year, which also prevented Toto Wolff's team from catching on. In the closing stages of the season, however, both teams managed to move closer to victories.

"Ferrari weren't too far away from them at the end," Hill analysed on Sky Sports. "We don't know how much more they had in hand, but they were pretty close to Red Bull and also, of course, in Brazil, you had Mercedes being competitive in a different set of circumstances."

Red Bull compared with Mercedes period

Hill therefore does not expect Red Bull to be sure of the world title in the coming seasons yet. Since the Austrians will have less time in the wind tunnel in 2023, Ferrari and Mercedes will have an advantage. Moreover, according to Hill, the situation is different from between 2014 and 2020, when Mercedes was the biggest team. "Their dominance is not quite as dominant as Mercedes' shift to the hybrid era," he pointed to Red Bull's current lead.