The McLaren driven by Lando Norris split the two Mercedes cars after Carlos Sainz finished third and Leclerc in fourth. The Woking team was likely disappointed with their result in the season’s first race, especially after finishing so strongly the previous winter. Daniel Ricciardo placed 13th, and Oscar Piastri, Norris’s McLaren teammate, came in ninth.
They all appear to be inferior to Red Bull, especially when it comes to race pace. Verstappen, who had won eighteen of his previous nineteen races, remarked simply after crossing the finish line, “Great start to the year, guys, a one-two finish as well, so fantastic.”
Christian Horner, the team principal, who was grateful for the brief break from the turmoil surrounding his ongoing inquiry, retorted, saying,
When asked whether Red Bull could improve on last season and win every race, Wolff said, “Unfortunately, yes.” “Max [Verstappen] belongs in a separate galaxy and league. All we have to do is admit his performance levels. It was an amazing performance. However, we were able to observe the distinctions between the Ferraris and, in my opinion, the Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari groups were likely in the same league. We simply need to examine ourselves and address our issues, and if we can better organize our race weekend, we’ll be competing against those guys.
