Red Bull's Dominance Continues: Verstappen Expects Big Lead Over Rivals

Red Bull has been unstoppable in the 2023 Formula 1 season, winning four of the first five races with one-two finishes. However, the team is allowed less development time than its rivals due to its victory in last year's world championship and testing allocation cuts as a penalty for exceeding the budget cap in 2021.

Despite this disadvantage, Verstappen is confident that his team will maintain their lead over their rivals, even as they bring significant upgrades over the coming races.

"We have a decent advantage, especially in the race. Over one lap in some tracks, definitely some cars will be close or in front, like you could see in Baku. But that race pace advantage I think is quite big at the moment," Verstappen said.

He also revealed that Red Bull is not standing still and is ready for its rivals' development push. "It's not like the others are bringing new bits and we're just standing still," he added. "So hopefully we can just keep it going like we're doing now."

Verstappen's win at the Miami Grand Prix was a testament to Red Bull's race pace advantage. He started from ninth on the grid but quickly rose to second place before chasing down teammate Sergio Perez for the win.

"I was just really staying out of trouble at the beginning because the people around me tried to gain positions as quickly as possible on lap one," Verstappen said. "But knowing that you have a quick car, then once it all settles down you just try to pick them up one by one."

He also revealed that he had to be patient in traffic during the opening laps of the race. "That worked out quite well. I had even a three-wide on the straight, which was quite entertaining."

Verstappen's victory was also due to his ability to manage his tires. "We had good pace, I could look after my tyres," he said. "Once I was in clean air, it was just about getting to that lap number we targeted. That's why in the middle of that stint, I was not entirely sure if I was going to make it."

"But then I was getting close to the number and I said 'okay, this is good.' So then I started pushing, I could extend the gap again, which really made my race today because once we pitted then I had the fresher tyres to the end."

Red Bull's dominance has been a cause for concern for their rivals. Mercedes has been vocal about their struggles and is expected to bring significant upgrades over the coming races.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is pleased with his team's performance so far but is aware that there is still a long way to go in the season.

"We're only five races into a 23-race championship, so we're not getting carried away," he said. "We know that our rivals will catch up eventually, so we need to keep pushing."

Horner also revealed that Red Bull is continuing with its development program despite their lead. "It's important that we keep improving our car," he added. "We can't afford to rest on our laurels because our rivals won't."

Red Bull's dominance of the 2023 Formula One season is undeniable. However, the team are not complacent and are continuing with their development programme to maintain their lead over their rivals. As the season progresses, it remains to be seen whether their rivals can catch up or whether Red Bull will continue to dominate.