The Red Bull driving force received the primary race through greater than 11 seconds over his teammate Sergio Perez and his competition struggled to stay tempo. While Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc pulled out with a technical factor, his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr (fourth) and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (5th) completed virtually 50 seconds at the back of the Dutchman.
While Coulthard thinks there will probably be “multiple winners” this season, he advised TOI: “I think that start to the year is a very ominous sign for Max getting a third world title.”
He added: “He has again and again proven that he is were given a preventing spirit. His paintings ethic at the observe is one thing that has given him, in conjunction with herbal ability, an edge over numerous his competition. Perez could be very proficient however presently he lacks that part a 10th that Max has. There are at all times going to be outstanding drivers that stand out, and presently Max is that individual.”
The former McLaren and Red Bull driver was speaking at an interaction organized on the eve of the Red Bull Showrun which will be held on Sunday morning at Bandra Bandstand.
Coulthard will drive the RB7 car with which Sebastian Vettel won the 2011 world title fetching Red Bull the constructors’ championship.
So, what traits of Verstappen does he like the most?
“Having seen Max grow up, as I raced against his father Jos, who was very clear on the discipline that is required, he has been provided with the perfect environment to understand the hard world of racing. Max is a hard racer and won’t give a millimeter on track to his competitors but off track, I find him grounded and straightforward,” mentioned Coulthard, who will probably be doing his 3rd Showrun in India.
He had prior to now come to Mumbai (2009) and Hyderabad (2015). Coulthard feels that Mercedes and Ferrari should buckle up or see Red Bull velocity clear of them.
“Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin… have the similar alternative to expand their programs as Red Bull. What we noticed in Bahrain is that all over qualifying it is somewhat shut, however over the race distance, Red Bull are excellent they usually had been ready to regulate the tires smartly,” said the Briton, who will soon turn 52 but doesn’t miss out on the opportunity to jump behind the wheels of an F1 car.
Last season, Mercedes and Ferrari showed glimpses of their potential, but they weren’t consistent enough to match Red Bull. The differences at Mercedes were out in the open in Bahrain with seven-time champion Hamilton stating that the team “did not concentrate” to him over the development of the car for the 2023 season.
While Coulthard admires the “openness” in the Mercedes camp, he feels everything is not well in the team.
“You cannot say everything is fine if you are finishing 30 seconds or more behind the leader. Everything is not fine, they have an issue, they need to identify where that issue is and find a solution,” mentioned Coulthard.
At Ferrari, their enthusiasts have noticed all of it. Technical problems, strategic blunders and driving force mistakes noticed their problem fizzle out after a promising get started remaining season.
Coulthard analysed: “This is all a part of working a successful staff and a successful staff makes much less errors. If you take a look at the (Michael Schumacher technology, they had been relentless. They were not absolute best, no one is. That’s what Ferrari will have to do.”