Red Bull play down talk of winning every race

LONDON : Red Bull were so dominant in Formula One's Bahrain season-opener that Mercedes rival George Russell suggested they could win every race this year.

The Briton was not alone in pointing to such a scenario, even if such a sweep would be unprecedented in a championship that started in 1950 with far fewer rounds than the current record 23.

The mood in the paddock after Sunday's race at Sakhir, and the airport talk among departing insiders, reflected a realisation that Red Bull may have given only a glimpse of their real pace.

Double world champion Max Verstappen finished 11.987 seconds ahead of Mexican team mate Sergio Perez and 38.6 seconds clear of Aston Martin's third-placed Fernando Alonso, who provided welcome thrills and emotion.

The Ferrari of Carlos Sainz was 48 seconds behind the winner and Verstappen was also racing without pressure, holding plenty in reserve.

"Red Bull have got this championship sewn up," Russell told reporters after finishing seventh. "I don't think anyone will be fighting with them this year. They should win every single race, that's my bet."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner naturally played down such talk and said Sunday had still been a tense and nervous experience because so many things could go wrong.

"We're not taking anything for granted," he said. "Let's see Jeddah in two weeks, Melbourne after that. Once we've got two or three circuits under our belt we'll get a much better picture of strengths and weaknesses of our car and our opposition.

"Twenty three races is a marathon ... we fully expect our rivals to come back hard in the future races."

DOMINANT TEAMS

Red Bull won 17 of 22 last year, and Verstappen all but two of those.

Mercedes in the past decade, McLaren with Ayrton Senna and