Damon Hill believes that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix could be crucial in indicating whether Red Bull can maintain their dominance during the 2023 F1 season. The Milton Keynes-based squad looked to have a significant edge on their rivals in Bahrain, with Max Verstappen leading Sergio Perez home in a 1-2 result. However, with the Jeddah Corniche Circuit featuring different characteristics to the Bahrain International Circuit, Hill expects the transition between the tracks to give a good insight into the true pecking order.
Jeddah could highlight 'chinks in armour' for Red Bull
"I think what's going to be really important, and as an indicator of how the season will pan out, is going from Bahrain to Saudi, which is a different type of circuit," Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. "It is going to give a pointer as to whether there's any chink in the armour for Red Bull, and whether it actually is track-specific, the performance." Hill also believes that the track will highlight the performance levels of the team's rivals, including Ferrari and Red Bull. "Maybe Ferrari will be much more competitive on a circuit with less tyre deg[radation], certainly in race conditions, and also their horsepower as well," the 1996 World Champion added. "Aston Martin now have kind of created an expectation that they're going to be brilliant at every event, so they are going to find out that you've got to keep it up if you're going to do well."
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