After an enthralling showdown in Abu Dhabi, Mercedes managed to defeat Ferrari to secure P2 in the constructors’ championship. Even though the Silver Arrows beat the Italian team, F1 expert Peter Windsor believes that it was not “entirely fair“.
On his official YouTube channel, Windsor said, “Not really fair that I think, if you look at the overall results“. The 71-year-old believes that Ferrari was unlucky to finish P3 as they were the only team besides Red Bull that managed to win a race in 2023.
Windsor then added that since Mercedes and Ferrari were only fighting for second in the championship, rarely any fan will remember about the same in a few years’ time. However, one thing that the Prancing Horse does have on their side is momentum. Ferrari had a few outstanding race weekends to close the 2023 season.
As for Mercedes, they had several bad results in the last few Grand Prix and were in some ways fortunate that Ferrari ran out of races to challenge them for P2. While Windsor does feel sorry for Ferrari, the Italian outfit are focusing on the positives.
Ferrari will get more development time than Mercedes in 2024
Since Mercedes pipped Ferrari for P2 in the constructors’ championship, they will get the benefit of the extra $8-9 million in prize money. However, it is the Prancing Horse that will get the benefit of more wind tunnel time.
As a result, the Italian outfit will also have more of an advantage than Mercedes in developing their 2024 car. Ferrari have huge plans for 2024 as they are bringing an entirely different concept.
Charles Leclerc has already revealed in an interview with Sky Sports earlier this year about how he is looking forward to 2024, with a car that is expected to close the gap to Red Bull. As for Mercedes, they too are coming up with a new concept for their W15.
Moreover, it is pertinent to note that it is not just Mercedes and Ferrari that are attempting to fight Red Bull in 2024. McLaren, who has more wind tunnel time than both Ferrari and Mercedes, could very well be the team that closes the gap to Red Bull the most after ending 2023 on a high.
