At Mercedes, they are upset by Red Bull Racing's new RB19. Max Verstappen 's team seems to be outsmarting the competition again, and at the German racing stable they don't understand how that can be.

After the winter test in Bahrain, everyone is pointing to Red Bull Racing as the favourite for the first Grand Prix of the season. The reigning world champion immediately came out strong in Bahrain with fast lap times and a reliable car. Only an oil leak caused some time loss, but all in all Sergio Perez and Verstappen can be very satisfied.

Mercedes impressed

The competition looks on in amazement at Red Bull Racing, which seems to have the best car for the second year in a row. For instance, Mike Elliott, Mercedes' technical director, notices that Red Bull has gone from having a very high rear of the car in 2022, now suddenly switching to a very low rear. At Mercedes, according to Auto, Motor und Sport don't understand how that is possible.

Similarly, Toto Wolff is also guessing how Red Bull can pull this off. ' 'If we were to drive so low, the underside of the car would break,'' said a bemused Wolff. That Red Bull can drive so low is one thing, but Aston Martin also seems to be able to do it with the AMR23. Dan Fallows, from Red Bull Racing, and his team impressed Mercedes.