Carlos Sainz highlights yet another Max Verstappen benefit from Red Bull dominance

Carlos Sainz believes the lack of pressure facing Max Verstappen allows him to perform at his best and be so dominant.

It is clear from the first seven races of the 2023 season, Red Bull and Verstappen are streets ahead of the competition.

The Dutchman has won five of the opening seven races with his team-mate Sergio Perez victorious in the other two, meaning Red Bull already have a 135-point lead in the Constructors’ Championship.

Meanwhile, every other team is desperately trying to catch up which in turn is causing mistakes. While the strategy errors of last year so far have not reappeared in 2023 for Ferrari, the pressure placed on the drivers to get the best out of an underperforming car has particularly impacted Charles Leclerc’s season, including an off in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix.

Leclerc’s team-mate Sainz believes it is this lack of pressure that allows Verstappen and Red Bull to be so good.

“You don’t have to be a genius to know that Red Bull is very difficult to catch this season, which doesn’t mean that Ferrari can’t,” he told AS. “We are going to try and this does not mean that we cannot win races. We’ll be on the lookout for a win.

“It is difficult for Max to be forced into an error with a Red Bull that is so dominant and without pressure.”

The calmness around Verstappen’s garage is even shown in the pit stop timings as despite Red Bull and Ferrari dominating the top 10 quickest stops this season, the sole entry from Verstappen is eighth suggesting Red Bull are happy to take their time with the Dutchman in order to not make a mistake.

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Meanwhile things at Ferrari seem to be going from bad to worse with not only Red Bull and Aston Martin ahead but also now Mercedes following a resurgent performance in Barcelona.

Sainz admitted the team is not where they want to be but are working to improve.

“On the sporting side it has been a year that started off in a complicated way. Still, I can’t complain and I’m doing well.

“Formula 1 is always relative, the car Red Bull has made is one of the most dominant and Mercedes seems to have found the right direction.

“At Ferrari we are not where we want to be, we are the first to be self-critical and we are working to improve. This is what we have at the moment and we are focused on getting as much out of it as possible.”