Red Bull chief insists Mercedes will be ‘right there’ in 2023 F1 title fight

Adrian Newey has backed Mercedes and Ferrari to be stronger this year after Red Bull cruised to the 2022 Drivers and Constructors’ title

Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey has backed Mercedes and Ferrari to be right back in the Formula 1 title fight this year.

Newey was the grand architect behind Red Bull’s winning RB18 machine in 2022, as Max Verstappen stormed to his second Drivers Championship and the Milton Keynes-based team took home the Constructors’ title too.

It was their first double success since 2011 and marked the end of Mercedes’ era of dominance in the Constructors’ Championship, with chief techincal officer Newey widely praised for designing a car which thrived under new regulations which placed a focus on “ground-effect.”

Yet Red Bull were in hot water for breaching the 2021 cost cap regulations, resulting in a £6.07m fine and 10% reduction in car development time.

While Newey dismissed the impact this would have in the Red Bull factory, the 64-year-old did back his closest competitors to right their wrongs from last year and be back up fighting at the top.

“The reduction in wind tunnel testing means we can therefore evaluate less different components, less different ideas,” said Newey.

“If we’re really smart and always putting the right things on the model, then of course it doesn’t make much difference.

“Ferrari won’t be resting, they’ll be sorting out their weak areas. They had a couple of reliability problems. They made a couple of pit wall mistakes. So they’ll be right back.

“And then of course, you saw Mercedes starting with a car that was quite a long way off the pace, and evolving it to the point that it won the last race but one.

Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey has backed Mercedes and Ferrari to be right back in the Formula 1 title fight (Getty Images)

“You know they will be right there. So it’s going to be a tough year, for sure.”

The 2023 season, which currently has a mid-April slot to fill as a result of the Chinese Grand Prix’s cancellation, starts in Bahrain on March 5.