Red Bull, Mercedes, and all other F1 teams are in ‘crisis’, claims former 4x champion

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 leads Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W14 and the rest of the field at the second restart during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Peter van Egmond/Getty Images)

Alain Prost feels that Red Bull are nearing a crisis for the teams owing to the competition that could take place between their drivers for the world championship later in the season.

The start of the 2023 season has been in favor of Red Bull, as they have won all three rounds that have taken place so far.

The team has both their drivers at the top of the standings, with Max Verstappen leading. He managed to win two out of the three races, while his teammate, Sergio Perez, pulled off a heroic victory in Saudi Arabia.

However, there has been a lot of speculation about both drivers sharing a battle this season for the world championship, which could deteriorate the conditions of the team given the fact that they have been favoring Max Verstappen.

Prost wrote in L'Equipe:

"Sergio Perez, now settled in the team, is discovering that he can win and is no longer willing to compromise to stay."

He added:

"Even if Red Bull’s domination continues, the next few weeks will be crucial for the reigning World Champions. It’s clear that anything can quickly throw a spanner in the works and that, even at the top, a crisis is never far away."

Prost marks teams other than Red Bull that are in a 'crisis' this year

Alain Prost labeled 2023 as having a 'weird' start to the season. Red Bull have been in complete dominance; however, the four-time world champion believes they will face internal issues later in the season.

Adding to the list, he listed out other teams as well that are facing a crisis in 2023. However, these teams, as he wrote, are facing many different issues than Red Bull.

He believes that McLaren are not strong enough, and Alpine, who were their rivals in 2022, are recovering very slowly:

"It’s a weird start to the season. Wherever you look, you can see that it’s not going well and that, in a way, it’s already a crisis. And a crisis on all levels, whether you are a big or a small [team]."

Prost continued:

"There are, of course, the factory or historic teams which are suffering, such as McLaren, which is not only not rebuilding but, year after year, is plunging. There is Alpine, whose recovery is still slow in coming. There is Mercedes, which persists in its admittedly innovative concept but which obviously does not work."

He also referred to the issues that Mercedes have been facing with their development. The car has hardly been competitive in the first two races; however, it did show signs of improvement in Australia. But that too didn't end up too well for them after George Russell's PU failed early in the race.

According to Prost, the only team that has been satisfied is Aston Martin, who have recovered considerably since the past season. They have been on the podium in all races and are second in the standings.