RACING LINES
Damien Smith
Indycar gave us a thrilling battle for victory…
…after F1 gave us yet another show of Red Bull domination
RED BULL CONTENT POOL
A three-way title battle? Well, that was wishful thinking. Formula 1 heads to the second grand prix of the season in Saudi Arabia this weekend in a collective state best described as sober – and that has nothing to do with the kingdom’s ban on alcohol. The big question in Jeddah is not whether Max Verstappen will win again but rather by how much, such was Red Bull’s domination in Bahrain. The double world champion was imperious in the night-race opener as Sergio Pérez recovered from a sluggish start to secure a one-two.
Red Bull deserves full credit for the way it has shot out of the blocks this term, but it’s a bitter pill to swallow for rivals Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG, not to mention for F1 as a whole. Hopes of a tight multiteam battle for honours in this sophomore year for the supposedly racier ground-effect regulations had been undermined by what was learned in the pre-season test and then confirmed by events at the first race: Red Bull is operating in its own league right now.