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F1 pundit Johnny Herbert has picked Ferrari and its driver pairing over the Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton combination as the one that could challenge Red Bull next season. The 2023 F1 season has been single-team domination to the core with the Austrian team winning all but one race this season.
There has been next to no competition for the Austrian team as Max Verstappen won 19 races himself while Red Bull accrued 21 wins this campaign. At the end of the season, one of the main questions being asked is which team could potentially challenge the reigning champions next season.
Could it be the Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton combo that dominated the sport in the last decade? Or could it be Ferrari with all its resources? Herbert, in conversation with PlanetF1, feels it would be the Italian team. Talking about the team and how its drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz seem to have the right mentality, Herbert said:
"I think the one who’s got the driver pair, and I really do like they have the right mentality, that’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Ferrari have had in the last couple of years a car that probably could have, should have, won the Championship, but through various reasons, it never quite came together."
He added:
“And that’s where you have had the likes of Mercedes in the past, it all comes together. You’ve got it this year [with Red Bull]. It’s every single element coming together.”
Herbert on why he picks Ferrari over Mercedes to challenge Red Bull next season
Delving deeper into why he feels Ferrari might be the better choice as compared to Mercedes as the team that could potentially challenge Red Bull, Herbert said that the later part of the season showed how Fred Vasseur's actions were starting to bear fruit. He said:
“I spoke to someone in Abu Dhabi and he said it’s just now we’re just seeing those signs of what Fred is all about and what he’s trying to draw together. To be able to give them everything that they need when they actually start next season.
"Fred is a very good businessman, loves his racing, he’s got the right mindset for it and it looks as if it’s definitely moved in the right direction."
Ferrari did lose out to Mercedes for P2 in the championship this season, but only by three points. Having said that, the two teams seem to be closely matched and it is very hard to pick one over the other in terms of who can pose the biggest threat to Verstappen and Red Bull in 2024.
