Formula 1 | Wurz on the tests: "Mercedes indecipherable, Ferrari could annoy Red Bull"

In a chat given to the newspaper Krone, Alexander Würz took stock of the pre-season tests held on the Sakhir track in Bahrain, highlighting how Ferrari e Red Bull they will compete for podium places over the weekend starting next Friday again in the Middle East.

Thanks to the base offered by the RB18, the new single-seater of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez proved to be effective both in terms of pace and in qualifying configuration, an aspect which will obviously allow the Anglo-Austrian team to present itself at the starting line of the championship with all the favorites of the prediction.

However, be careful with Ferrari and the development of the SF-23: the latter, in fact, proved to be a fast car but too aggressive on the tyres. A condition that currently places the Maranello team behind the team led by Christian Horner. If the Red team, however, manages to stem this problem, which already emerged at the end of the last championship, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will be able to play an important role in the fight for the top.

“The situation between Red Bull and Ferrari will be very similar to last year,” revealed the former Austrian driver. “They can get close on the flying lap, while on the long runs they showed too much degradation. This could prove to be their weak point for the rest of the championship. It will depend a lot on the tracks that the teams will gradually tackle. In a less aggressive circuit on the tyres, perhaps with less understeer, they could annoy the Red Bull."

There was also a reference to the Mercedes, whose W14 seems to have confirmed the many difficulties that emerged with last year's technical package: “It is the most difficult to evaluate, also because the television footage showed a W14 far from balanced. There are some problems with the rear and I'm probably further behind than the other competitors. Maybe they ran with a lower engine map, who knows, even if bluffing doesn't help much, especially for them."

Finally, an evaluation of the fight in the center of the group between Aston Martin, McLaren e Alpine: “The first is the one that has made the most important steps forward. The long runs have been promising and could have established themselves as favorites for fourth place in the constructors' championship. Totally opposite story for McLaren, which risks having taken a big step backwards compared to last year. I see a car with too much aerodynamic drag."