Red Bull untouchable as Mercedes left concerned for 2024
Red Bull dominance leaves rivals Mercedes concerned about hopes of catching them in 2023 even after identifying their own car's weaknesses.
In the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Red Bull and Max Verstappen displayed complete dominance en route to another comfortable victory, leaving Mercedes concerned about their hopes of catching up next season.
Polesitter Verstappen controlled the season finale from start to finish, winning by a mammoth 17.993s margin over Charles Leclerc's Ferrari.
The Dutchman led every lap and was never challenged, with Sergio Perez finishing third on track but dropping to fourth due to a 5s penalty.
George Russell completed the podium for Mercedes, narrowly beating Ferrari to runner-up spot in the constructors’ championship.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton struggled to ninth place, losing the rear of his W14 on the final lap while battling Yuki Tsunoda.
The Brit tapped Pierre Gasly's front wing earlier on and also accused Fernando Alonso of brake-testing him. Stewards took no action over the Alonso incident.
Red Bull Untouched Since August
Hamilton expressed concerns about the sheer scale of Red Bull's advantage, given they have not brought any upgrades since August's Dutch GP yet still dominated proceedings.
With Verstappen winning despite the team switching focus to 2024, Mercedes have cause for worry heading into next season.
As Hamilton despondently put it, "Red Bull won by 17 seconds and have not touched the car since August. So you can pretty much guess where they're going to be next year."
Mercedes still searching for answers
The seven-time world champion was downbeat after the race, feeling there is "not a lot to take from the year" except for the fact he "survived it".
Asked what Mercedes can do to catch Red Bull in 2024, Hamilton tellingly said, “it’s definitely a concern.”
He explained Red Bull "haven't even developed their car since August" yet remain clearly faster. However, Hamilton expressed confidence in his team addressing their lingering ground effect issues over the winter.
As he affirmed, Mercedes have "learned a lot about the car" in 2023. Now it is "down to the team and they know what they need to do" to hit back at the front in 2024.
Whether they can actually achieve that against the dominant Red Bull machine remains to be seen.
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