- Martin Brundle backs Ferrari to put up a stronger fight
- Predicts McLaren to make a comeback
- Mercedes still leading the way and could pull away
The pre-season testing saw fans and pundits worldwide make Ferrari one of their favourites for the championship, especially after Charles Leclerc’s mighty lap on the final day, which saw him go the fastest. Mercedes and McLaren were close behind, and many expected a proper fight for the titles this season.
Three races into the season, it is Mercedes who are powering away from the competition, having won all GPs and being much faster than the rest of the pack. There are talks among the fans of a Mercedes 2014 repeat, that might not be the word coming out of the paddock.
Championship race is far from done, says Martin Brundle
Martin Brundle was on Sky Sports’ The F1 Show podcast this week, and he believes that the surprise break in the season will see several changes to cars at the Miami GP. He added that the number of changes from now, until the break after the Hungarian GP in late July will play a crucial role in the championship.
Ferrari have the race starts sorted better than all the other teams, but their race pace has been an issue. The broadcaster claims that the power unit will be the area of focus for the Italian side and said:
“I think this championship is wide open, and I think we’ll see with this sort of enforced spring break, as it were, a lot of changes when we get to Miami and through the spring and summer. I think Ferrari will find a lot with their power unit and their deployment. I think they’ll improve their car a lot.”
Brundle has also gone for the 2025 champions, McLaren, to make a big difference in the battle and said:
“McLaren seem very confident that they know what to do with their car to go faster as well. I think the top three teams, it’s going to be absolutely wild, and Ferrari will be right in there.”
Both sides are already chasing Mercedes, who have a 45 points lead over Scuderia, who have nearly double the points of the Papaya Team.
Mercedes are going to be the team to beat
Brundle expects a fight from Ferrari and McLaren in the upcoming weeks, but they are facing an uphill battle. Mercedes are clear of the rest right now, and Toto Wolff is not going to rest until they have complete dominance.
The Sky pundit was quick to point out that the Silver Arrows are going to keep pushing, and teams will find it hard to chase them down.
“Mercedes is not going to stand still either, let’s be honest, of course, they’re not with their car. I think Mercedes will come back from Japan, although Antonelli’s pace on the hard compound tyres was absolutely extraordinary, thinking, ‘Yeah, we’ve got a race. We’ve got a challenge on our hands’. So those two teams are coming at them.” Miami is going to be amazing. That is going to be such a big event for Formula 1.”
Christian Horner (in)famously told Mercedes to, ‘Change their <retracted> car’ in 2023, and now Toto Wolff might play that clip to the team in Brackley to keep them motivated.
