Red Bull's got wings: When Mercedes were fast, we weren't that fast, says Hamilton

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton claims he has never seen a Formula 1 car as fast as Red Bull's 2023 contender.

Hamilton said Red Bull had built the fastest F1 car he had ever seen after Sergio Perez saw off Max Verstappen to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Perez cantered to victory from pole position at the circuit on the Jeddah Corniche as Verstappen blasted his way from 15th to second following a mechanical failure in qualifying.

George Russell took third place after Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was demoted a position following a controversial post-race 10-second penalty. Hamilton finished fifth.

However, Alonso was reinstated in third at 01:00 local time following a successful appeal by Aston Martin.

Fernando Alonso. The Centurion. ??#SaudiArabianGP #F1 @alo_oficial pic.twitter.com/pD4LPgzrNk

Another stratosphere

Red Bull has moved to another stratosphere this year, and their crushing one-two finish - a fortnight after they ruled the season-opener in Bahrain - will be a cause of major concern for F1 bosses ahead of a record 23-round campaign. Red Bull has now won 12 of the last 13 races staged.

Russell said at the season-opening race in Bahrain that he expects the team from Milton Keynes to win every round this season, and their rapid form on the Red Sea has done little to dispel the British driver's chilling prediction.

Perez and Verstappen were both more than a second a lap quicker than their rivals. Alonso finished 20.7 seconds behind Perez, who eased off in the closing stages. Hamilton, who saw Verstappen breeze past him after only a dozen laps, was half a minute down the road.

"I have definitely never seen a car so fast," said Hamilton. "When we were fast, we were not that fast. It is the fastest car I have