Can Red Bull control Verstappen-Perez F1 tension?

Will Red Bull tension spill out of control? 

Red Bull’s perfect start to 2023 was slightly overshadowed by some early tension between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez last time out in Saudi Arabia. 

• Fastest lap fight will prompt "internal discussions" at Red Bull

Verstappen’s cheeky last-gasp effort to snatch the fastest lap - and with it an extra point - away from his Red Bull teammate frustrated a victorious Perez in Jeddah. 

It was a point that ensured Verstappen kept his early championship lead and may prove to be crucial come the end of the season. 

Perez’s unhappiness at Verstappen’s actions has led to suggestions of a potential war brewing inside Red Bull amid the likelihood the team’s drivers end up in an exclusive fight for the title. 

After all, the duo have history, with Red Bull forced to defuse tension following a heated team orders row in Brazil last year. 

Perez’s performance in Jeddah, albeit aided by Verstappen’s qualifying drama, underlined he is determined to throw down a sustained challenge to the Dutchman for this season’s title. 

Previous one-team title fights such as Senna v Prost or Hamilton v Rosberg have highlighted just how messy things can get, and Red Bull may yet experience a similar headache this year. 

Can Red Bull keep both of their drivers happy and prevent tensions from mounting if Verstappen and Perez find themselves regularly duelling for victories? 

Can Hamilton get on top of W14? 

Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult and frustrating weekend in Saudi Arabia as he ended up being beaten by Mercedes teammate George Russell in both qualifying and the race. 

The seven-time world champion admitted after the race that he is not as comfortable with Mercedes’ W14 challenger as Russell, revealing that a specific design element is not suiting him.

• ‘The ultimate test’ - Can Russell keep Hamilton behind?

“There’s a specific thing with something on the car that I have never had before,” Hamilton said. 

“It’s a position I’ve not had in previous years' cars. For me it’s the thing that is making me uncomfortable. I’ve just got to work hard to make sure it is changed.”

Having been defeated by Russell over the course of 2022, Hamilton heads into this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix just two points and one position ahead of Russell in the championship standings. 

Will Hamilton’s struggles continue at a circuit he loves, or will the Briton find a way to get on top of his troubled machine?

Will Ferrari’s tough start continue? 

Ferrari were victorious down under last year but this time around they don’t appear to be in contention for the win heading to Melbourne. 

Performance and reliability concerns have dogged Ferrari at the opening two races, with an engine issue costing Charles Leclerc a podium in Bahrain before further component changes resulted in a grid drop in Saudi Arabia. 

• Vasseur’s contrasting approach to Binotto at Ferrari: "We can’t bulls*** ourselves"

Ferrari were surprisingly off the pace in Jeddah as Red Bull romped to another one-two. Not only did Carlos Sainz and Leclerc both finish behind Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin, they were also outperformed by Mercedes. 

After being Red Bull’s biggest challengers last year, the Italian outfit have dramatically fallen back and have a gaping deficit to overturn. With doubts cast over whether Ferrari are moving in the right direction following a winter of upheaval, it is already looking like a long season ahead for F1’s most famous team. 

Can Ferrari finally get the most out of their current package in Melbourne, or will it prove to be another fruitless weekend?

Three in a row for Alonso?

Besides Red Bull, Aston Martin have been the real success story of 2023. 

It has been an incredible turnaround for ‘Team Silverstone’. After slumping to a disappointing seventh in the 2021 constructors’ championship, Aston Martin find themselves a remarkable second following the opening two rounds of the campaign. 

• Explaining the Alonso mess and why his penalty was overturned

In both Bahrain and Jeddah, Alonso finished in the ‘best of the rest’ position of third behind the dominant Red Bull drivers. 

It remains to be seen whether Aston Martin can catch Red Bull this season, but for the time being the team are satisfied with playing second fiddle, which has more than exceeded their wildest expectations in the off-season. 

Can F1’s surprise package stay ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari to make it three podiums on the spin in Australia this weekend?