Verstappen admits, he is very wary of Mercedes for 2023. With the 2023 F1 season just around the corner, the reigning world champion sees a three-way battle looming this year with the possible return of Mercedes to the forefront, according to the Dutchman. The current F1 champion names Mercedes as being the most likely biggest opponents this season.

Asked who will be Red Bull’s main rival this year, Mercedes or Ferrari, assuming the Milton Keynes-based team is still as strong as it was in 2022, Dutchman Max Verstappen said he certainly expects a Mercedes reaction in 2023.

Last year, Max Verstappen clearly dominated the F1 competition with no less than 15 wins to his name and 454 points scored, while Mercedes only managed one win at the end of the year thanks to a W13 that was updated several times throughout the season.

Mercedes named as biggest threat

As the 2023 campaign gets underway with the Bahrain Grand Prix in early March, Max Verstappen believes Mercedes could well be Red Bull’s big rival this year, provided the German manufacturer’s team has learned from its struggles last year, while the Dutchman is not burying Scuderia Ferrari, which still finished second in the championship in 2022.

“At the end of last season they looked strong, sometimes less so. So from my side it’s a bit difficult to say because I’m not part of their team,” said the reigning world champion at the Red Bull presentation in Manhattan on Friday.

“But I guess if they have understood perfectly what needs to be improved on their car, then of course they will be our main rival. But I think Ferrari will be strong as well, but how strong is hard to say.”

“But Mercedes have shown in the last few years that they are really, really strong and they also have a good group of people in the team.”

“After that I also trust my team in Milton Keynes, I know they can build a very strong car with a good engine. I just hope we have a strong package again to fight against them.”

While Red Bull has already presented the livery of its 2023 car, despite showing it only on last year’s F1 car, this is not yet the case for Ferrari and Mercedes, who will unveil their cars on February 14 and 15 respectively.

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