McLaren quickly got their car for the shakedown on the Silverstone circuit right after unveiling it on Wednesday. The Papaya team and their MCL38 weren’t alone, though. Rivals Mercedes followed them for a run with the freshly launched W15. After his share of the run, Lando Norris had a quick interview with Sky F1’s Craig Slater. When asked if he expected stern competition from the Silver Arrows, the Briton admitted it was more than just them hunting for the championship.
Norris said, “Mercedes, in general, they’re always a strong team. It’s not going to be just them. It’s going to be the Red Bull, the red cars (Ferrari), the green cars (Aston Martin), and a lot of everyone. And I think as the regulations get older this year, things are only going to get tighter and competitive between everyone.”
Behind Red Bull’s unfettered dominance, the rest of the grid came closer on lap times in 2023. As the season progressed, the majority of the top-5 teams showed a better understanding of the regulations. Their mastery over the ground-effect regulations and the aerodynamic concept will only mature as the upcoming season progresses.
The radical changes are already visible in the cars Mercedes and Ferrari will compete with. Team bosses of both constructors promised an overhaul of their existing design philosophies, and it shows. From front wing and side pods to suspensions and floor, every element sports a new design in the SF-24 and the W15.
McLaren and Aston Martin, on the other hand, are the dark horses from 2023. Fernando Alonso’s team started the season with a bang, lost steam in the middle, but managed to recoup towards the end. McLaren, however, had steady progress throughout the year. Both teams will look to carry that momentum in the upcoming season.
Is Red Bull in trouble already?
Red Bull marked a season of unprecedented dominance with 21 wins out of 22 races in the 2023 season. As the team transformed itself into an unstoppable juggernaut, many believed the run would continue in 2024 with ease. However, team principal Christian Horner gave an update that would give rivals some confidence. Horner confessed to reaching the stage of “diminishing returns” on the development of the RB20.
“We’re into diminishing returns now. But there are two more years of these regulations. It’s inevitable that the grid will concertina.” – Christian Horner
RB19 had a 20kg weight reduction vs ’22. Can Newey find another massive gain elsewhere to storm ’24? Hopefully not. #F1 pic.twitter.com/lBWurfwM4r
— Simon Dau (@there_is_no_if) December 16, 2023
However, downplaying chances before the start of the season is an old trick in F1’s book, and Christian Horner is one seasoned campaigner. The Milton Keynes outfit continues to be the favorite to march on its victorious run in 2024. That is unless they somehow managed to drop the ball, which, with a man like Adrian Newey at the helm, is highly unlikely.
Formula 1, however, is a sport of uncertainties. If 2022’s 7th fastest team, Aston Martin, can emerge as the 2nd fastest at the beginning of 2023, why can’t Red Bull falter in 2024? Fortunately, we will get our answers in a matter of days when the cars hit the tarmac for testing in Bahrain from 21 to 23 February.
Everything else rests on the progress teams make as the season passes through. We saw McLaren rescue a presumed dead season in 2023. Surely, 2024 will have its fair share of excitement to offer.
