Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes Teammate George Russell Concedes Defeat to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull

• George Russell has predicted Red Bull will win this year's F1 championship after dominating in Bahrain
• Russell and his teammate, Lewis Hamilton finished outside the podium places in P7 and P5 respectively
• The new Mercedes W14 model still needs to be worked on to get the two Brit racers back into the title talk

Lewis Hamilton has suffered a subtle blow in his pursuit of winning a record eighth Formula 1 championship after his Mercedes teammate, George Russell threw in the towel after just one race this season.

The 2023 F1 campaign got underway this past weekend in Bahrain with worrying signs for Mercedes as they struggled to keep up with the pace of Red Bull.

Red Bull picked up from where they left off last season by putting on a scintillating show, as Max Verstappen led Sergio Perez to a 1-2 finish at the Sakhir Circuit.

Erik ten Hag pinpoints what went wrong for Manchester United in 7-0 Liverpool humbling

Football

So dominant was Red Bull that Verstappen finished 11 seconds ahead of Perez and 38 seconds of Fernando Alonso in P3.

Talking of Alonso, the two-time winner rolled back the years beautifully in his new Aston Martin to claim an unprecedented podium. The Spaniard looks like the outright challenger to Red Bull's dominance, with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari equally struggling.

Speaking after the race, Russell stated Red Bull was too strong for other teams.

"Red Bull have got this championship all sewn up. I expect them to win every single race this year. That's my bet," he said as quoted by ESPN F1.

Russell was beaten to P6 by a determined Lance Stroll in an Aston Martin car. Hamilton finished in P5 after Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

Barca beat Valencia, move nine points clear as Madrid stumble

Football

Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff has called on his engineers to work on improving the new W14 model ahead of the subsequent races.

The championship takes a one-week break before returning with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on March 19.

Ferrari facing problems again

Sports Brief also reported on Ferrari suffering the same problems after Leclerc was forced to retire due to engine problems.

The Monegasque won the opening race last season in Bahrain and was set for a podium finish before the huge setback.

McLaren also suffered a similar fate, with Oscar Piastri becoming the first driver to quit, while Alpine's Esteban Ocon also retired.