With just over a week left until the season-opening Grand Prix, predictions are flowing in from all corners of the F1 community, including from reputed experts. While most of them seem to be towing a realistic line, Ted Kravitz — one of Sky Sports’ most recognizable voices — has come up with a pretty bold take heading into the new campaign.
Most of the focus in these early days has been on McLaren and Ferrari — last year’s champions and runner-ups. At pre-season testing in Bahrain, they were also deemed to be the two fastest teams of 2025.
But one team, whose quick pace went under the radar, was Mercedes. The W16 looked fast, and was praised by both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli after the three-day outing. Kravitz for one, feels that they are good enough to be ahead of the Ferrari even.
That’s why, when asked to pick the podium finishers of the Australian GP, he picked not one, but two Mercedes drivers.
“I would not be at all surprised if we saw George Russell on the podium in Melbourne,” Kravitz said, as he admitted to the high likelihood of a McLaren 1-2 at Albert Park. But he made it clear that he expects the Mercedes cars to be right behind, maybe even sneak up another top-three spot.
Over and out of Bahrain. Next stop: Melbourne pic.twitter.com/bq8weivXzS
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 28, 2025
“That Mercedes is quick. Watch out for Kimi Antonelli,” he added. “When all the attention is on the man who went from Mercedes to Ferrari, there might be an Italian driver — not in a Ferrari — with a chance to get on the podium.”
Kravitz did not stop there. He feels that the Mercedes is quick enough to be ahead of Ferrari in terms of performance, despite the Scuderia being tipped as the closest challenger to McLaren this year.
Ferrari’s testing compared to Mercedes
Ferrari has been flirting with the idea of competing for the title for over three years now, and 2025 was finally expected to be the year their 17-year drought would end.
Pre-season testing results should always be taken with a pinch of salt, as most teams hide their true performance. Ferrari was believed to be one of them, with experts suggesting there was more pace in the SF-25 than they showcased.
Hamilton, Ferrari’s headline signing of the winter, admitted that work still needed to be done. However, he also feels better than he has in years. “I feel like we’ve built a really good foundation, but these guys out there look really competitive — it looks very close. This is the most positive feeling I’ve had for a long time.”
“This is the most positive feeling I’ve had in a long time”
Lewis Hamilton is loving life at Ferrari pic.twitter.com/coTMICfFlO
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 28, 2025
Mercedes, meanwhile, emerged as the true ‘dark horse’ of the Bahrain test. Few expected them to field a title-winning car, but after their running, a few eyebrows were raised. GPS data also placed them P2 in the pecking order, according to Sky Sports’ Craig Slater.
Russell, who joined in 2022, has labeled the W16 as the best Mercedes car he has driven to date. So, Kravitz could be right after all.
