1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill believes that the Japanese Grand Prix race weekend will provide a “big test” as to whether other teams can challenge Red Bull.
Red Bull endured a tough weekend in Australia as Max Verstappen retired due to a brake issue and Sergio Perez lost significant pace after a tear-off got stuck under his floor.
When Red Bull was last defeated in Singapore last October, Verstappen rebounded to inflict a crushing 19-second win over the McLaren drivers, who completed the podium.
The ex-Williams driver reckons the high-speed Japanese venue will now provide the ultimate assessment of whether Red Bull’s opponents can provide a consistent challenge.
“I think this is going to be a big test for the competition against Red Bull at Suzuka. I think this is really going to test the aero efficiency, tyre wear efficiency in the car as well,” said Hill on the F1 Nation Podcast.
“I think qualifying will still see Max on pole by probably a similar amount, two-tenths, maybe three-tenths or something like that.”
Hill sees Ferrari as the closest competition to the reigning Constructors’ Champions, with the Italian marque situated four points behind following its 1-2 finish.
Meanwhile, the Briton also questioned if Ferrari would have still prevailed in Melbourne without Verstappen’s premature retirement due to a stuck right rear brake.
“Ferrari are quick in a straight line, and it is a lot of straight line, a lot of high-speed stuff in Suzuka,” Hill acknowledged.
“And what I really hope is that Ferrari are able to take the race to Red Bull during the actual race itself.
“The question is whether Ferrari have got good tyre deg, and we’ll be watching the FP1/2/3 on that one, to get some clues. But you have to say, the question is always going to be asked, did they win in Melbourne because Max broke down? We’ll never know the answer, so we need to get them to beat Max in a straight race.
“But if they do, that would be really shocking for the whole of Formula 1, because it means that something can be done about this Red Bull runaway.”
Hill also expects McLaren to be challenging the top two teams in Suzuka, with the circuit set to enhance the strengths of its MCL38 car.
The former F1 driver highlighted that the high-speed layout and the Woking-based squad’s remarkable progress could lend it to be a prominent threat during this weekend.
“They are making progress and looking more and more solid with every race that goes by,” said Hill.
“They weren’t happy with their first race at Bahrain, and they were saying that they’ve got some changes, but they learned a lot in that first race.
“I think they’re gradually making some progress. They were strong, although they were unhappy with Saudi Arabia with their speed. They got their setup, I think, wrong for the aero setup for Saudi, but they seem to have got things in the sweet spot for Melbourne,” he concluded.
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