F1 pundit on why Mercedes will be in a strong position next season

Sky Sports F1 pundit Bernie Collins has said that Mercedes will be in a stronger position to challenge Red Bull next season in comparison to their rivals.

The former Aston Martin F1 Head of Strategy pointed out that the former world champions do not have any major changes happening in their base like Aston Martin and McLaren, who are bringing a new tunnel into their factories.

The German team is also firmly placed in P2 behind Red Bull in 2023 and has been the second-strongest team in terms of performances on most race weekends. While appearing on the Sky Sports podcast, Collins said:

“Compared to Aston and McLaren, they’re not bringing online a new wind tunnel, they’re not bringing online a new factory like Aston have done, so they are in a set-up position that I think should be a smoother transition to just say, ‘right, we’re going to take this new concept, that will be going through variations in CFD’."

“And I think Mercedes will be in a strong position, because they’re going back to ground zero and starting with a full car fundamental swing, hopefully. I don’t know if we’ve got that confirmed, but hopefully, that’s what they’re doing," he added.

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Red Bull team boss waiting for Mercedes' challenge in 2024

Red Bull F1 Team Principal Christian Horner said he was certain that Mercedes and Toto Wolff are working towards making a comeback in the championship and challenging them for the title.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Horner said:

"For me, sport is about rivalry. It's great to have a rivalry. There has to be respect, but sport isn't sport without rivalry. Obviously, we haven't seen much of him (Wolff) in the last couple of years but I'm sure he's plotting."

"I'm sure he's got something that they're working on. They're a great team. They are a big team. They have got great drivers. They'll be looking to fight back," Horner added.

It is likely that Mercedes will be stronger next season as they have the strongest driving lineup on the grid and will have momentum on their side heading into 2024.

They started the season with a 'zero-sidepod' concept from the previous year and quickly shifted their concepts mid-season to gain more performance and close the gap to their rivals. It would be interesting to see how they will modify their current concept to make themselves even more competitive and bring themselves closer to Red Bull in 2024.