Davidson names Verstappen's Red Bull as Mercedes' 'biggest threat' after Antonelli tops FP3
Anthony Davidson believes Red Bull is turning into the biggest threat to Mercedes. He said so after Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar finished second and third behind Kimi Antonelli in final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Anthony Davidson has declared Red Bull as the most significant threat to Mercedes in Formula 1, citing their impressive performance in final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix. After Max Verstappen and Isaac Hadjar secured second and third places behind Kimi Antonelli, Davidson commented on Sky Sports F1 commentary that Mercedes' lead was rapidly diminishing and that Red Bull had become its closest rival.
Mercedes had been struggling after a poor Friday session, where neither driver managed a competitive lap due to excessive tire degradation. However, Antonelli's impressive lap time in FP3 was more than 1.2 seconds faster than their Friday best. Verstappen followed closely in second place, while Hadjar rounded out the top three.
Red Bull's speed is nothing new; Verstappen led FP1, and GPblog's FP3 report revealed that he skipped a soft-tyre qualifying simulation in FP2. Hadjar also carried a five-place grid penalty into qualifying, leaving Verstappen to bear the brunt of the team's performance.
Despite this, Red Bull remains fourth in the constructors' standings and has yet to secure a race win this season. Team principal Laurent Mekies has emphasized that Red Bull intends to fight for wins on merit throughout the campaign. In Sepang, Mekies was more cautious, stating that Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull are all closely grouped.
Pundits and team officials agreed on Verstappen's dominance at the Bahrain GP, with GPblog reporting that George Russell had named Verstappen and McLaren as clear pace-setters. Charles Leclerc also praised Red Bull's performance this weekend. Davidson's assessment goes further, stating that Red Bull is not only fast at a single track but is now closing the gap to Mercedes from one weekend to the next.
Qualifying at Sepang will be the first true test of this claim; if Verstappen can convert Red Bull's pace into pole position, they would have the best opportunity yet to end their winless run.
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