“He has a clear advantage”: Red Bull boss thinks Lewis Hamilton will challenge Max Verstappen for 2023 title

In 2022, Mercedes and Red Bull’s rivalry, especially the stiff competition between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, lightened due to the Silver Arrows not having a strong descendent to its championship-winning W12.

So far in this season, Mercedes is yet to have a win. And with only two races remaining, it seems tough for Mercedes to see the chequered flag first. However, Mercedes claims it’s their top priority to end the season with a win.

It’s apparently edging their demand to finish P2 in the constructors’ standings. They believe that a win in 2022 would give them a morale boost for 2023 to mark their comeback.

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Lewis Hamilton will challenge Max Verstappen for 2023

Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko following on Mercedes’ desire to come back to the top of the grid, claims that Hamilton would again be in the title contention along with Verstappen.

“I see (Lewis) Hamilton as a stronger challenger for 2023. He has a clear advantage in terms of experience, he can motivate himself incredibly well and I’m also convinced that Mercedes will put a better car on the track next year,” said Marko.

The seven-time world champion is also more than motivated to be back in the business of winning. But how much Mercedes would gain ground remains to be seen.

Mercedes does have a chance

The FIA has penalised Red Bull with a 10% reduction in the wind-tunnel time. Thus, Mercedes will have significantly more wind-tunnel time compared to their Milton-Keynes-based rivals.

So, the Silver Arrows have an opportunity to get an edge. However, Mercedes engineer Andre Shovlin thinks the Red Bull penalty brings little damage to the 2022 world champions.

He thinks the money saved from lack of wind-tunnel time would be used in aero development and reduce car weight. Thus, it will allow them to remain dominant and lose little time next year.

Meanwhile, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has not pressed into whether the penalty is fair or unfair. He is satisfied that a formal process was initiated by the governing body.

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