Lewis Hamilton says Red Bull's superiority so far in 2023 lies in the strength of the RB19's rear end. Red Bull have proved the class of the F1 field so far this year, winning all three races with relative ease. Just as in 2022, Mercedes do not appear close to the pace of the drinks-backed squad, though the Silver Arrows had an improved showing last time out in Australia, with George Russell leading the opening laps and Hamilton finishing a strong second. Mercedes' 2022 car was plagued with bouncing and porpoising issues, especially in the early part of that year, which Hamilton noted the team had cured for 2023. "[In 2022] we had bouncing until the very last lap of the last race," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365.com . "The race where we had the least amount of bouncing was, I think, in Brazil [where Russell scored Mercedes' only win of 2022]. "This year's car, we don't have the bouncing. There's small remnants of it every now and then."
'Unpredictable' W13
Hamilton continued to say that driving 2023's W14 was a more pleasant experience than being behind the wheel of the W13, also noting Red Bull's rear-end superiority. "The [W13's] balance was pretty much the same through the whole year," said Hamilton. "It was a massively front-ended car, very little rear end, and very pointy from the moment you turned in, and very unpredictable, massively unpredictable. "We still have generally a very strong front and not as good a rear as we would hope to have. "If you look at the Red Bulls, the places where they get the power earlier and the speed they can carry through the corner just because they have a much stronger rear end. "But this year's car is slightly more predictable and nicer to drive particularly because you don't have the bouncing."
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