However, Palmer anticipates that this mindset will change as the season progresses and rival teams begin to challenge Red Bull.

In his analysis for Formula1.com, Palmer highlights moments in a Grand Prix when drivers have to race sensibly. 

He explained, “Often when a driver is out of sequence on pit strategy, you won’t bother slowing down your own race in a futile bid to keep them behind.” 

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Palmer argued that this is especially true when drivers don’t believe they can compete with the outpacing car for the entire race duration. 

He believes that Red Bull and Verstappen are benefitting from this situation, as they currently possess the best car and a dominant driver, resulting in other drivers often allowing them to pass without resistance.

However, Palmer does not see this approach as a permanent state. 

READ: Lando Norris says he’s open to leaving McLaren after Red Bull meeting

He suggested that as the season progresses and rival teams close the performance gap on Red Bull, the mindset of drivers will change. 

He predicted that proper battles for victory will ensue as other drivers start to believe they have a chance of sustaining a race-long challenge against Red Bull and Verstappen.

“As rival teams close up later on this season, I’m sure we will see that mindset change, and we’ll have proper victory battles again as others think they stand a chance of sustaining a race-long challenge,” Palmer, who previously competed for the Renault team, said.

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Following the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced their eagerly awaited new concept at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Hamilton in particular was instantly delighted with the new concept and informed the media how much he was loving the car.

Due to the nature of the Circuit de Monaco, it was relatively unknown whether the new concept had actually been a success, meaning the Spanish Grand Prix was going to be the first real indicator.

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Hamilton finished second at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya whilst Russell clinched third, after recovering from 12th on the grid.

The result marked Mercedes’ first double podium of the campaign, and their first overall since the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix.

The W14 looked very good, with Hamilton having comfortably been the second fastest driver.

Medium and high-speed corners appeared to be where the new concept was at its strongest, compared to Red Bull’s superior RB19.

Despite the strong result in Spain though, Palmer noted that the Silver Arrows have often been “strong” in Barcelona.

“They have significant upgrades on the car and on the face of it, it looks like they are yielding immediate results. However this has always been a strong Mercedes circuit,” Palmer said on his column on the official Formula 1 website.

Mercedes’ 2-3 finish in Spain saw the side overtake Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship, promoting them to second.

However, they remain comfortably behind Red Bull in terms of the championship and in terms of performance.

Despite the new concept, Hamilton finished 24 seconds behind Max Verstappen in Barcelona, whilst Mercedes sit 135 points behind the Austrians.

READ: Toto Wolff warns Lewis Hamilton

Palmer believes the gap between the Brackley-based team and Red Bull “remains large”, with the Germans having also benefited from Aston Martin and Ferrari having an off-weekend at the Spanish GP.

“The gap to Red Bull and Max Verstappen remains large though and Mercedes were also flattered by their rivals under performing,” Palmer added.

This weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix is expected to be much more challenging for Mercedes, given how much they’ve struggled at circuits recently which boast low-speed corners.

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The Circuit de Monaco is certainly unique, with the legendary street track being unbelievably narrow and bumpy, typically resulting in a precession.

Mercedes were set to introduce their new concept last weekend at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix prior to it being cancelled, with the decision having since been made to instead introduce it this weekend in Monaco.

This is certainly a huge risk given how challenging the circuit is, with spare parts perhaps being a concern should either Lewis Hamilton or George Russell crash.

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Palmer believes Mercedes should’ve held on until the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend to introduce their upgrades, with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya having been the previous host of pre-season testing.

It’s also a much more traditional circuit, where the Silver Arrows will be able to gain substantial data.

Little useful data will likely be gathered by Mercedes in Monaco, whereas Barcelona will be the real indicator for the team as to whether their new concept is a step in the right direction.

Palmer discussed Mercedes’ choice to introduce the new concept in Monaco whilst discussing what the teams will be telling their drivers to do this weekend, with a common message being to avoid the famous barriers.

“Don’t crash, but it’s so easy to do,” Palmer told F1’s official YouTube channel.

“I’ve been in a situation with Lotus before they became Renault, where the parts were so few and far between.

“It was very much, ‘if you crash, we might not be racing but we certainly won’t be racing the new part. That’s the thing about Monaco, it’s not the place to bring upgrades. The track is so different to anything else.

“There’ll all be running the car in a completely different configuration because it’s high downforce anyway.

“So far, we’ve only had low or medium downforce circuits, then you’re adding new components in and there’s the highest chance to crash of anywhere on the calendar and then you might just destroy them before you get the chance to race them.

“Still downforce is king, so if you can add downforce to the car it should help you, but there’s risk element and you’re not gonna learn as much around Monaco as you would on a conventional circuit.”

READ: Revealed: Ferrari’s plan to lure Lewis Hamilton

Palmer added: “That’s the thing, you’ve got Barcelona one week after, which is the traditional test track where you can really evaluate new upgrades.

“You don’t want to be destroying them in Monaco and running out and not being able to bring what you want to Barcelona- where you can really get a read on it.

“They’re gonna have to trust the drivers at Mercedes if they’re gonna bring it. They’ve got a decent pairing to do that, but I think it looks to me a little bit like a desperate measure.”

The post Sky Sports pundit calls Mercedes desperate for ‘introducing’ Monaco upgrade appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

The team had the season opener from hell however, with both of their cars struggling from different issues.

Rookie Oscar Piastri was forced to retire from his first F1 race on the 13^th lap while Lando Norris was forced to pit five times due to a pneumatic problem before eventually retiring as well.

Norris has been tipped as a future world champion and linked with the likes of Red Bull in the past but has consistently put his faith in McLaren, the team that brought him into F1.

READ: Mercedes fans demand senior team figure be sacked

The Brit has signed a long-term deal with the team and has repeatedly shown faith in their project that will potentially see the team return to their title ways of old.

F1 analyst Jolyon Palmer has now admitted that he feels sympathetic for Norris, with all of his faith in the McLaren still yet to pay dividends following the team’s disaster start to 2023.

“McLaren, well it’s what we thought from testing. They’re struggling,” said Palmer on F1TV’s post-race show.

“Lando got in the top 10 at the start, but didn’t have the pace and dropping back, then had just a repeated of reliability issues and it was a testing session for them.

“The pace was really poor for McLaren. Lando I though was brilliant to get as close as he did to Q3 but he only got through to Q2 because he was the first driver to do the lap. It could have been both McLarens out in Q1.

READ: Fernando Alonso’s charm offensive not just limited to Lance Stroll

“And then he gets into the top 10, he’s overtaken by [Alex] Albon and then has [Logan] Sargeant on debut in the Williams hassling him.

“I mean, this is a guy who’s had a pole, he’s been fighting for podiums and got one last year, he shouldn’t be fighting at the back so I feel a bit sad for Lando with the state that McLaren is in.”

The benefits of McLaren’s new state-of-the-art wind tunnel facility are not expected to be felt until next season, meaning that Norris may have to endure another difficult year at McLaren before trying again in 2024.

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There is no doubt that Pérez has been an exceptional team-mate to Verstappen and an excellent driver for Red Bull, with the 33-year-old having obeyed every instruction from the Milton Keynes-based side.

Checo famously held up Lewis Hamilton twice during 2021 at the Turkish Grand Prix and in the season finale, all in a bid to support his Dutch team-mate.

Even last season, Pérez gave the race lead to Verstappen in Spain and Azerbaijan, taking victory away from him.

READ: Nico Hulkenberg happy his Haas ‘hasn’t exploded yet’

Despite this, the sole time that Verstappen was asked to allow Pérez past, he disobeyed the team and finished ahead of the Mexican.

This is something that Checo understandably won’t be able to forget, with some suggesting that he might think twice in the future when given an instruction by Red Bull.

Palmer, though, doesn’t think Pérez is in a position where he can ignore instructions, given that Red Bull have a ruthless tendency to sack drivers who don’t perform as expected.

“The logic would have been maybe he wouldn’t after the Brazil thing where Max didn’t help Checo get second in the championship last year which is what Checo was fighting for,” said Palmer.

“The logic would say maybe he would be more hesitant, He did such a job in Abu Dhabi and Turkey [in 2021]. Some of those defensive lunges back on Hamilton, it clinched the title for Max. Particularly in Abu Dhabi holding him back for a whole lap and a bit.

“So he really did a huge job in those crucial moments so the logic now would say maybe he wouldn’t if he feels the favour has not been returned. But he has to, to stay in favour with Red Bull. He’s got no [choice]. If he doesn’t do that they will hoick him out for someone who will be a bit more compliant.”

With that in mind, it appears that Pérez will have to remain “compliant” and support Verstappen whenever instructed to do so, with Palmer also noting that the Mexican has two drivers who could easily replace him.

Daniel Ricciardo is somebody who Red Bull know incredibly well and could perhaps be used should Pérez defy the Austrians, whilst AlphaTauri rookie Nyck de Vries is another option.

“There’s not just Daniel. There’s maybe Nyck de Vries now at AlphaTauri,” Palmer continued.

READ: Toto Wolff admits Mercedes ‘advantage’ over Red Bull

“That’s the classic way to get into Red Bull through AlphaTauri. Good performance and then get the climb up.

“There’s going to be pressure on Checo but I think whilst Red Bull are winning, they won the Constructors with ease, they won the Drivers’ with ease.

“As long as they have a harmonious relationship it’s a bit like keeping Valtteri Bottas in a Mercedes at this point, there’s a bit of a gap between the two drivers but if you’re winning it’s pretty much okay.”

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Whilst most teams opted to run both drivers during the opening day of testing, Red Bull opted to give Verstappen the entirety of the first day, with Pérez to be in the car during the morning of the second day of testing and the entirety of the final day.

It meant Verstappen completed his full day in the “worst conditions”, with the circuit having been dusty and dirty.

Pérez won’t have to endure this problem, given that a full day’s worth of rubber will have been laid by the time he gets to drive the RB19.

READ: 2023 Australian Grand Prix organiser makes big claim

Ex-F1 driver Jolyon Palmer puts this down to Verstappen being “confident”, with the Austrians doing what they can to “help” Pérez.

“You have three days and you want to try and split it,” said Palmer following the first day of pre-season testing.

“The first day is the worst day because the track is in its worst condition, the car is probably in its worst condition as well, and Max did the whole day. Checo will get three of the best four sessions out there, which is great news for Checo, obviously it’s not perfect for Max but what it tells me is he’s confident.

“The Red Bull team are backing Checo to try and help him out at this stage, he obviously needs to start this season well with Max romping away with it at the end of last year, and Max is confident. Red Bull are going to give Checo the best of the conditions in the car, interesting. “

2023 is a big season for Pérez, with the Mexican entering the final two years of his contract.

Regardless of his contract, Red Bull are notoriously a side who will fire a driver should they not deliver results, as was discovered by Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon.

Pérez’s and Verstappen’s relationship is something which will be fascinating to watch this year, given their argument at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Mexican driver has been an excellent member of the Austrian outfit and has been told to “stay in favour” with the team and not disobey team-orders, even if his team-mate doesn’t repay future favours.

READ: Haas show off VF-23 at Bahrain pre-season testing

“The logic would have been maybe he wouldn’t after the Brazil thing where Max didn’t help Checo get second in the championship last year which is what Checo was fighting for,” Palmer added.

“The logic would say maybe he would be more hesitant, He did such a job in Abu Dhabi and Turkey [in 2021]. Some of those defensive lunges back on Hamilton, it clinched the title for Max. Particularly in Abu Dhabi holding him back for a whole lap and a bit.

“So he really did a huge job in those crucial moments so the logic now would say maybe he wouldn’t if he feels the favour has not been returned. But he has to, to stay in favour with Red Bull. He’s got no [choice]. If he doesn’t do that they will hoick him out for someone who will be a bit more compliant.”

The post Red Bull accused of giving Sergio Perez initial advantage over Max Verstappen appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

The Brit single handedly took the fight in the constructors’ championship to Alpine and finished above both Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon in the drivers’ championship.

Norris was the only driver outside of the top three team to score a podium over the course of the season, but his first race win still eludes him as McLaren fail to compete with the top teams.

The 23-year-old had a golden opportunity to stand on the top step of the podium at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, where wet weather and grid penalties saw himself and Carlos Sainz battling at the front of the pack.

READ: Helmut Marko denies Sergio Perez theory amid Daniel Ricciardo signing

A mix up in communication about incoming rain with his team saw Norris stay out and struggle to stay on the track in wet conditions, while Lewis Hamilton fitted the intermediate tyres and cruised past the McLaren driver for his 100^th win.

Former F1 driver turned analyst Jolyon Palmer has suggested that Norris’ maiden win is just around the corner, as the 23-year-old continues to improve year after year.

“The gap between the best and the rest was bigger than anticipated in 2022, something I hope will close up next season to give more the of the midfielders opportunities,” he began.

“Out-qualified only once by the departing Daniel Ricciardo, it seemed Norris took his performance to another level, even if the standout moments weren’t as exceptional as last year.

“With a long-term contract in place, he’ll be hoping for a leap in performance from his team next season. If that comes, I expect Norris to be knocking on the door of that maiden race win once again.”

READ: Zak Brown reveals opinion which will anger Lewis Hamilton

McLaren will be hoping that they can provide Norris and his new teammate Oscar Piastri with a competitive car in 2023, as the team look to get back to championship winning ways within the next few years.

Should the team not make the required steps forward to win races, McLaren will be sweating over the long-term future of Norris, who has been heavily linked to Red Bull in recent weeks.

The Brit has claimed that he believes in McLaren’s project and is more than happy to remain with the team for the time being, however should Red Bull come knocking at the end of Perez’s contract at the end of 2024, it could be hard for Norris to say no if McLaren are still not challenging for race wins.

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Alongside their new technology, the team from Woking possess the services of one of the most sought-after drivers in the sport, in the form of 23-year-old Lando Norris.

The Brit eased McLaren’s early season worries by picking up a podium at Imola and never looked back, fending off the likes of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon to secure a best of the rest finish in the championship, despite Alpine outscoring McLaren overall.

Norris finished 85 points above his teammate Daniel Ricciardo in the standings, which is highly impressive when it is considered that the Australian is an eight-time Grand Prix winner regardless of his McLaren struggles.

READ: Lewis Hamilton reveals why 2022 struggles were ‘pretty cool’

Former F1 driver turned analyst Jolyon Palmer has heaped praise on Norris in a recent column, tipping the Brit to win his first Grand Prix in the near future.

“It was another stellar season for the McLaren driver, who barely put a foot wrong all campaign to finish comfortably best of the rest in the standings and almost single handedly take the fight to Alpine in the constructor’s’ championship,” said Palmer.

“The gap between the best and the rest was bigger than anticipated in 2022, something I hope will close up from next season to give more of the midfielders opportunities.

“But it was only Norris who managed a podium outside of the top three teams, with his driver to third in Imola.

READ: Zak Brown reveals secret Lando Norris career plan

“With a long-term contract in place, he’ll be hoping for a leap in performance from his team next season. If that comes, I expect Norris to be knocking on the door of that maiden race win once again.”

Norris came ever so close to winning his first Grand Prix in Russia two seasons ago, however a mix-up in communication between the driver and his team about the weather conditions saw Norris struggle in the late rain and be overtaken by Lewis Hamilton who had pitted for the intermediate tyres.

With Red Bull being pleaded to sign the 23-year-old star to replace Sergio Perez by Sky Sports pundits in their post-season review, McLaren will be hoping to keep their driver happy by providing him with a more competitive car in 2023, as Norris will want to be challenging for championships in the not so distant future.

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Verstappen on the other hand seems unwilling to repay the favour, despite calling Perez a ‘legend’ and an ‘animal’ for his heroics in Abu Dhabi last year that were key to his victory over Lewis Hamilton.

The Dutchman was repeatedly asked over the team radio to allow Perez to pass in on the final lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix, as the Mexican hunts for second place in the drivers’ championship, which Verstappen won himself back in Suzuka.

The 25-year-old refused to swap positions with his teammate, reminding the team that they know his reasons for not helping Perez, which it is rumoured relate back to Monaco where Perez caused a suspicious red flag to secure pole position, at a circuit where track position is key.

READ: Max Verstappen’s mother claims Sergio Perez cheated on his wife

Former F1 driver turned analyst Jolyon Palmer has agreed that Perez’s actions in Monaco seemed ‘fishy’, but still remains confused by Verstappen’s decision making in Sao Paulo.

“Red Bull did ask Max to give way to Checo, and they actually repeated that request over and over again as they realised it was going to be ignored,” said Palmer.

“Red Bull weren’t in such a great position – sixth and seventh on a Sunday is peanuts for this year’s drivers’ and constructors’ champions, yet for Perez the extra two points would have been worth a great deal.

“Verstappen nonetheless ignored the orders and proceeded to take his third worst finish of the season. For a man who was won more races in 2022 than any driver in history over a single campaign, and has the championship sewn up, this seemed like an odd decision.”

The aftermath of Verstappen’s decision has caused a rift in the Red Bull camp, with Perez firing digs at the Dutchman and suggesting that the incident “shows who he really is”.

READ: Alpine reprimand Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon over ‘silliness’

Even if the two-time world champion does have valid reasons to be annoyed at Perez, which his reaction suggests he does, Palmer has suggested that Verstappen needs to learn to pick his battles, with this incident only reflecting badly on him.

“The Dutchman has maintained that he has his reasons for not complying with the team, but surely as a driver you have to choose your battle and decide when it’s better to swallow your pride and think of the bigger picture.”

Verstappen told reporters after the race that he would not hesitate to help Perez if he is needed in Abu Dhabi, but the truth in this statement will only be revealed when F1 heads to the Yas Marina circuit for the season finale.

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After 20 races, Russell currently leads Hamilton by 15 points, ahead of the penultimate round of the championship this weekend.

Whilst it’s a difficult gap to overhaul considering that the Germans aren’t claiming victories, Hamilton has been rapidly reducing the gap at recent rounds having been the dominant Mercedes in the second half of the season.

Russell undoubtedly performed better in the first half of the season when the car was at its weakest; however, since the porpoising issue has been ironed out, Hamilton has reigned supreme in the German garage.

READ: ‘I haven’t forgotten’: McLaren boss sends FIA demand as teams disagree

Despite his strong form, ex-F1 driver Jolyon Palmer thinks Russell will just about “close it out”, but that the seven-time World Champion is certainly “on top”.

“I imagine George will close it out, just by sheer numbers,” he said of the points gap on the F1 Nation podcast.

“There’s only two races left and if he just manages to keep this consistency, he’ll be there.

“But I think that doesn’t really tell the picture of the Mercedes story.

“I think George has been impressive, if he beats Lewis it will be an amazing achievement, but I do think the more the season’s gone on, the more Lewis looks like Lewis again.

“At the start of the year, there was a really odd moment where everyone was a bit perplexed [thinking] ‘is George Russell, gonna outdo Lewis Hamilton?’ and for the first six, seven races, it was looking that way.

“As the season’s gone on, I think Lewis has got on top and I think if they do have a title-challenging car next year, I still think it’d be Lewis that would be that man.”

Palmer added on his point that he thinks the 37-year-old would “be that man” to claim a title for Mercedes, based on the fact that when the W13 has been strong this season, Hamilton has been the one challenging for victory.

“So when the when the Mercedes car seems a bit absent through a weekend, it’s very close between the two, often George can be ahead,” Palmer explained.

“That’s certainly how it was at the start of the year.

“But every single time we’re looking at maybe Mercedes can win this race, as the race is unfolding, it’s only Lewis.

“That’s maybe just a little bit of experience still for George when the car’s at it’s best to maximise it. I’m sure he’ll improve as well next year but that’s where I still think you’ve got Hamilton ahead, even if the points don’t show it.”

1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill spoke in a similar vein to Palmer, with the Brit believing that Hamilton is certainly stronger in the “race itself” but that Russell is better over one lap.

Hill elaborated on the “incredible first season” Russell has had in the same team as the 103-time GP winner; however, he does think it would be different if it weren’t for Hamilton’s poor start to the year.

“When it comes to the race itself, Lewis is nearly always a faster driver over the distance,” Hill said on the podcast.

READ: Guenther Steiner lambasted for ‘useless criticism’ of Mick Schumacher

“I think that’s interesting.

“The younger drivers tend to be really quick over the one lap but the more experienced drivers, you look at Fernando [Alonso] in the races he’s incredible. He’s still creaking in qualifying, but they have this understanding of how to eek time out in a race.

“Quite often Lewis is still creeping ahead of George in the last few races. He’s [Russell] done an incredible first season with Lewis but in some ways you could say he was fortunate not to get Lewis on top form at the start of the season.”

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