Mercedes started the Formula One season being beaten in Bahrain by their own engine which powered Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin to the podium while they struggled as the fourth fastest team.
"That was one of our worst days in racing," declared team boss Toto Wolff as seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and George Russell seventh.
Red Bull's double world champion Max Verstappen led team mate Sergio Perez in a one-two finish with the Dutch driver finishing 50.977 seconds up the road from Hamilton."The Aston Martins are very fast, and the Red Bull is just on a different planet. It hurts that they are so far ahead," added the Austrian.
Red Bull ended Mercedes's run of eight successive constructors' titles last season and Wolff said the start to the 2023 season felt like being on the receiving end of the punishment his team once meted out to others.
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