P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Piastri: F1’s "chasing pack is not too far behind" Red Bull
After a successful 2023 season, Max Verstappen and Red Bull started the 2024 season strong by winning the opening race in Bahrain with their heavily revised RB20 car. Verstappen dominated the race from pole, finishing with a comfortable 22-second lead over teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in third place. Despite Red Bull’s early dominance, Oscar Piastri from McLaren believes that their rivals Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren are closer than it appears and sees room for optimism in their performance. Piastri is hopeful that McLaren can reduce the gap to Red Bull on different circuits and feels encouraged by the competitiveness shown in qualifying. Lando Norris, Piastri’s teammate at McLaren, shares a similar sentiment, highlighting the closeness of the competition and the potential for the order to change due to varying strengths and weaknesses at different tracks. Norris remains optimistic about McLaren’s performance and the overall competitiveness in the Formula 1 field.
