Mercedes and Red Bull in title battle next season with rival getting ‘better and better’

Max Verstappen 'recharged' ahead of new F1 season

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Toto Wolff and Christian Horner might not be the only bosses leading teams with title ambitions this season, and have been warned of an outside threat to their plans. Mercedes and Red Bull were the only two teams capable of winning the title in 2021, but that might no longer be the case in the coming campaign.

The new rules coming into force for 2022 have given teams the opportunity to close the gap on those at the top.

Whether or not they will be able to do so will depend on how their winter engineering went, with new technical regulations offering a chance for teams to out-develop their rivals with an original idea.

They will begin to discover the fruits of their labours at a testing event in Barcelona later this week.

Another testing period will take place next month, ahead of the season opener in Bahrain on March 20.

With no comparable data to go off from each team’s new cars, Mercedes and Red Bull will for now remain regarded as Formula 1’s two top teams.

But one former racer has warned that Ferrari might well be in the mix for race wins and the title as well this season.

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Timo Glock believes the Prancing Horse have the pedigree and the driver partnership to be able to cause their rivals serious problems.

“I think they are capable of [competing for the title],” he told Sky Sport in Germany.

“In terms of drivers they are very good and I think the performance has shown that. It was always just getting better and better.

“Carlos [Sainz] showed it last season, he was incredibly strong in the first year, put pressure on Charles Leclerc time and time again and ended up finishing ahead of him in the world championship as well.”

He went on to say the two drivers are “getting along very well at the moment”, adding that “bringing Ferrari back to the top and fighting for the World Championship” has to be the key goal for the team.

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Ferrari unveiled their 2022 car last week, with the F1-75’s sleek red and black livery earning rave reviews from fans.

Both Sainz and Leclerc spoke highly of the car’s design, and were quick to point out that they will “love it even more if it’s fast on track”.

Red Bull are already well aware of the threat Ferrari may pose, with chief Horner talking up the possibility of a title challenge by the Italian team.

“They’re the dark horse,” he declared in an interview with TalkSPORT.

“They’ve been a sleeping giant for a number of years now and you get the feeling they might be waking up. I wouldn’t write them off.”

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has been less keen to talk up his team’s chances, though, preferring instead to be cautious with his words.

“I don’t think we are the favourites on the contrary, I think we are not the world champions at the moment,” he told Canal+.

“There are others who won the championship last year, both drivers and constructors, and those teams who fought last year for the best result were somehow very strong compared to us.

“They finished the season with a nice advantage. It shows that they are very strong teams.

“If they have been strong in the past, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be strong in the present or in the future, so I expect Mercedes and Red Bull to be the favourites again.

“They are the favourites, they are the ones with the number one on the car and otherwise we can be challengers in a way.”

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