Button does not expect a 'walk in the park' for Verstappen and Red Bull

Red Bull Racing may have recorded a dominant double victory in Bahrain, but according to former Formula 1 driver Jenson Button, that is no guarantee the team will have an easy season.

Will Red Bull dominate in 2023?

Even though the excitement at the front of the field was gone after the first corner in the Bahrain Grand Prix, behind Max Verstappen there were some nice battles to be seen. Fernando Alonso in particular impressed with his overtaking moves on Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Button spoke to Autosport.com of a "great race". The 2009 world champion thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular battle between his former teammates Alonso and Hamilton, for which the former was rewarded with a podium finish.

Despite a "relatively easy race" for Verstappen, Button does not expect Red Bull Racing to be as dominant at every race as it was in Bahrain. "No, it's not a walk in the park for Red Bull and Max. It's a great start to the season, and very different to what they had last year. But I still think we're going to have some very, very close fights," Button predicts.

The former F1 driver expects to get more clarity on the balance of power after the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, to be held on 19 March. At the fast Jeddah circuit, Button suspects that the rankings could look different. He also expects exciting battles at the top at the European races.