Martin Brundle warns Max Verstappen as he discusses F1 "playground politics"

08 March 2023 , 20:04

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Martin Brundle thinks we could still see an F1 title race in 2023 (Image: PA)

Martin Brundle echoed Emerson Fittipaldi's warning to Red Bull that they might yet face a stiff title challenge from this year's emerging dark horses Aston Martin.

The way in which Red Bull won the Bahrain Grand Prix sent a strong message to their rivals. No-one was able to come close to race winner Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez, who finished in second place – and neither of them were pushing their cars to the limit.

George Russell saw enough in that first race of the season to predict that Red Bull will win the other 22 remaining this year. His team boss Toto Wolff agreed, even though he said it was painful for him to admit.

But double world champion Fittipaldi is one of those who still believes we could see a title race this year. He has "no doubt" that Aston Martin might be able to mount a stern challenge if they can build on their excellent performance in Bahrain.

Sky Sports pundit Brundle agrees, though it is clear that they will have to make even more rapid progress if they are to match Red Bull in terms of car competitiveness this season.

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He wrote in his column: "Because of their lowly championship finishing position last year, under the latest rules Aston Martin have so much more wind tunnel development time than their main three rivals.

Red Bull were untouchable in Bahrain (PA)

"It's already a good package but if they know where to go to improve it, then by mid-season they could emerge as the major challengers to Red Bull. That's doubly painful for Mercedes because Aston Martin have the same engine, gearbox and rear suspension and use the same wind tunnel."

Brundle went on to note that several Red Bull personnel have joked about the fact that Aston Martin's sudden rise comes after many of their top engineers and designers were poached by the ambitious Silverstone outfit.

"At this juncture Red Bull will pipe up that, due to personnel movements, Aston have followed their design philosophy remarkably closely. That's the playground politics of what is in effect a very small group of intensively competitive people."

Daniel Moxon