FLOYD ON F1: Another ‘boring’ season on the cards?

With the first race of the 2023 F1 season done and dusted, many are already foreseeing another “boring” year.

Apparently Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s first and second positions in Bahrain will be the order of the day for the entire season. That could be on the cards, but why should it be surprising?

Look at the list of constructors’ title winners and you will find there have been a number of “dominant” teams over the years.

McLaren and Williams shared the spoils from 1984 to 1998 with seven apiece, Renault winning in 1995.
Ferrari from 1999 to 2008, Red Bull from 2010 to 2013 and then the eight-year reign of Mercedes from 2014 to 2021.

When you have the best car and top F1 drivers, unsurprisingly you win more silverware. Will it be a Red Bull year? Difficult to predict.

ALSO READ: Red Bull have F1 title ‘sewn up’ after one race, says George Russell

Long way to go

We have 22 more races to go on very different circuits with extremely serious contenders hungry for a share of the spoils, and exciting new blood to spice the pot, as we saw last weekend.

Red Bull heads the F1 constructors’ table with 43 points, but who would have predicted Aston Martin to be second with 23, following a mighty effort from new signing Fernando Alonso in third and a solid sixth from injured team-mate Lance Stroll?

It was a delight to watch the 41-year-old Spaniard using his race craft to hunt down Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to reach the podium.

ALSO READ: FLOYD ON F1: Fans can expect a joyride this season

It was not the start Ferrari and Mercedes were looking for. Charles Leclerc’s start challenged pole-sitter Verstappen, but the Dutchman stayed ahead into turn one and remained there to the chequered flag.

Both Ferraris and Mercedes lacked race pace. Leclerc’s podium chance was lost due to a power unit failure on lap 39, showing fragility once again. Sainz finished fourth but suffered the old issue of high tyre degradation.

Toto cries Wolff

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff was not a happy man in an interview with Sky, where he was reported as saying Bahrain was, “one of the worst days in racing. Not good at all”.

“We are lacking pace front, right and centre. That is a reflection of the test. The Aston Martin is fast, they deserve that and the Red Bull is on a different planet.

“That is what hurts, because they are so far ahead. It reminds me of our best years, when we were a second ahead of everybody else.”

Boot on other foot syndrome?

He added the W14 requires more than just an upgrade saying: “It needs to be more radical.”

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F1 cost cap

With the current F1 cost cap, one has to wonder whether it would be possible to develop to the level Wolff is demanding and stay within the limits of annual expenditure. Perhaps they could put it down to more sandwiches for the staff.

Great result for Pierre Gasly as he ended in the points for Alpine, plus a solid result for Williams’ Alex Albon and his rookie team-mate Logan Sargeant, three drivers with potential for the season.

Alfa Romeo and Alpha Tauri fared reasonably well showing mid-field potential, but for Haas and McLaren it is definitely back to the drawing board.

The next race is the Saudi Arabia F1 Grand Prix on 19 March.