Christian Horner suspicions about Mercedes proven wrong with Lewis Hamilton in awe
The boss of the constructors' champions has so far been wrong in his assumptions about one of his rivals
Lewis Hamilton shows off his 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 car
Red Bull chief Christian Horner believed Mercedes may have been holding back during pre-season testing but that has proved drastically wrong with Lewis Hamilton's team struggling early on. As teams gave their charges a first official run out before the campaign began, the Silver Arrows hadn’t appeared to make much progress from 2022 with their new W14.
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The team principal of the constructors' champions - who saw his own driver Max Verstappen impress throughout testing - did not rule out the prospect of Mercedes ‘holding back’.
“It’s very difficult to say [what the pecking order is],” he said back in February. “Mercedes’ form is difficult to read at the moment, are they holding something back? We’ll see.”
So far Horner has been proved wrong as the Silver Arrows have struggled to compete for podium spots at the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix. George Russell thought he had claimed third place after Fernando Alonso's P3 finish was rescinded after footage emerged appearing to show him serve a time-penalty incorrectly.
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But Aston Martin exercised their right to appeal and after discussions behind the scenes, the Spaniard’s 10-second penalty was rescinded and the 41-year-old celebrated his 100th career F1 podium. While Russell finished fourth, Lewis Hamilton came fifth for the second successive race as Mercedes remained well off the pace of Red Bull.
As they continue to dominate the field, post-race, Hamilton waxed lyrical over his rival’s performances, even claiming they are currently faster than Mercedes ever were. "I have definitely never seen a car so fast," said Hamilton, who claimed six of his seven world championships during Mercedes' streak of constructors' titles between 2014 and 2021 - arguably the most dominant period in the sport’s history.
"When we were fast, we were not that fast," Hamilton added. "It is the fastest car I have seen, especially compared to the rest. I don't know how, but he [Verstappen] came past me with some serious speed and I didn't even bother to block him because there was a massive speed difference.
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"Everyone wants to see a close battle, but it is the way it is. It is not my problem, it is not my fault."
Hamilton cut a despondent figure after securing an eighth place finish in qualifying for the Saudi GP, but managed to improve on that starting spot during yesterday’s race.
While Hamilton said there were "positives" to take from his Sunday, the 38-year-old remained frustrated by his team's deficit to Red Bull and Aston Martin's Alonso. "(We are) still a long, long way off Red Bull," Hamilton said. "(It's) definitely strange to see that Ferrari are behind us and it's positive for us.
"It's a different surface here and we don't really understand why on this surface our car works one way and different on another. It will be up and down through the first three races. Hopefully we can get some upgrades ASAP and try to close that gap to the Astons." Hamilton currently sits fifth in the drivers standings with 20 points, 24 points behind Verstappen at the top and two ahead of teammnate Russell in sixth.
