There is no doubt that Red Bull has a significant advantage over the rest of the field in Formula 1, but how does it compared to the next best car? Having taken a clean sweep of wins out of the six races so far in 2023, the RB19 has shown that it is capable of winning around different types of circuits by a comfortable margin at the hands of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. The Bahrain Grand Prix was the biggest win margin so far, with the team finishing nearly 40 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso. Although this race was heavily influenced by tyre graining due to the high temperatures, it set the tone for the next few races. In Jeddah, this win margin decreased due to the car management both drivers had to do towards the end, as Red Bull feared a potential double-DNF with their technical problems. The triple red flagged race in Australia ended under Safety Car conditions so is an outlier, but at one stage Verstappen opened up a lead of 12 seconds to Lewis Hamilton before the late stoppages. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc managed to get within 21 seconds in Azerbaijan, but Perez was a further four seconds ahead during the Sprint race after 12 laps. In Miami both drivers were in a class of their own up front, with Red Bull electing to under-fuel their cars to make them lighter and therefore even quicker at the end of the race. The rain which affected the most recent race in Monaco was not enough to deter Verstappen up front. His win of 27.9s over Alonso was another reminder of how impressive their pace is compared to the rest of the field in all conditions. On average the RB19 has been half a second quicker than everyone else on race day, delivering Red Bull their most successful start to a season in the history of the team.
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