The new season of Formula 1 kicks off in Bahrain on 3 March. So far, all indications are that Red Bull and Max Verstappen will be favorites again, while Ferrari and Mercedes will try to create competition.

who is your favorite

The Mercedes 2014-2020 example showed us that if you have a good car to start with, it will be very difficult for your competitors to keep up with you. In 2021, Max Verstappen won the title, but the Builders Championship remained with Mercedes and the Bulls consolidated their advantage, not taking either title until the following season.

Three days of pre-season testing showed that Red Bull remains the season’s main favourite. Verstappen and Pérez passed the tests without any problems, getting the best lap times and at the same time enjoying the reliability of the technology. It is clear that all teams are hiding their pace, but before the start of the season, most experts favor Red Bull and Verstappen, who have a chance to win their third championship in a row.

It’s unclear who could challenge the Bulls until now. The team looks extremely confident.

What about Ferrari and Mercedes?

Ferrari managed to run quality tests, but it came as no surprise. It looks like Scuderia remains the second team in the championship, but Red Bull couldn’t close the gap. While Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz say they are completely satisfied with the preparations, the car’s development plan for the season should help catch up with the Bulls. But so far Ferrari clearly lags behind its main competitor, despite all the efforts to quickly solve the main problems in winter. At the same time, the Italian team seems to understand why fireballs have regular engine failures last year. Now engineers will focus on speed.

As for Mercedes, the team admits that they haven’t fixed all the problems that happened with last year’s car. That’s right, both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have announced that the car is clearly moving forward and is a good base to catch not only Ferrari but Red Bull as well. Testing for Mercedes did not go smoothly, with both Hamilton and Russell wasting time each time due to technical problems.

Presumably at the start of the season, Mercedes will continue to be the third strongest team Aston Martin will suppress.

The unexpected challenger

Aston Martin showed itself very well in tests. It seems that Fernando Alonso knew very well what he was doing when he left Alpin for a contract with Aston Martin. The British team showed good speed, as well as reliability. That’s arbitrary, but Alonso finished the day in the top 3 for speed twice, and on-scene experts believe Aston Martin could already be fighting for a podium spot at some stages.

Further progress is expected from Alpha Tauri. The Junior Bulls were weak last season, but a partially replicated Red Bull car could help them bounce back into their top 5 Builders Championship fight. Alpha Tauri was the one who managed to score the most laps in the tests.

There is a problem

But McLaren admits its problems. Team management and pilots stated that they were unable to fulfill their plan for a new car in the winter, and tests showed both speed issues and difficulties with the reliability of the equipment. The fact that one of the drivers is Oscar Piastri, a newcomer to Formula 1 who will definitely need time to get used to the new cars, does not improve the situation.

Also, McLaren is worried about the fate of its top driver, Lando Norris, who has said in an interview before the preseason kicks off that he’s ready to wait and hope to move forward. The keyword is yet. However, it is clear that the young Norris, who has shown steady results, could be the target of Mercedes with the idea of ​​replacing Hamilton in the future. Despite tough times for the team overall, two seasons ago McLaren jumped into the top 3.

Season 2023

Start in Bahrain on March 3, finish in Abu Dhabi on November 26. A total of 23 races, including sprint races, are planned in six stages (Azerbaijan, Belgium, Qatar, USA, Brazil, Austria). There were expected to be 24 races, but China canceled the race again due to the coronavirus.

F1 squads for the 2023 season

Red Bull: Verstappen, Perez

Ferrari: Leclerc, Sainz

Mercedes: Hamilton, Russell

McLaren: Norris, Piastri

Alpine: Extinct, Okon

Aston Martin: Alonso, Walking

Alfa Romeo: Bottas, Joe

Haas: Magnussen, Hulkenberg

Alpha Taurus: Tsunoda, de Vries

Williams: Albon, Sargent