F1 pundit claims Red Bull rivals taken 'step forward'
F1 pundit claims Red Bull rivals taken 'step forward'
Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff has said that Ferrari and Mercedes have taken a ‘step forward’ towards closing the gap to Red Bull.
The defending champions completely dominated the grid in 2023, winning all but one race on the calendar as Max Verstappen cruised to his third consecutive world title.
Ferrari were the only other team to claim victory last season – that coming from Carlos Sainz in what was his second career win at the Singapore Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Marko issues 'ejector seat' warning to key RB figures
READ MORE: F1 team-mate battles: Hamilton pressure is on at Mercedes as rivals clash
Schiff offers Bahrain testing assessment
In pre-season testing in Bahrain for the 2024 season, Verstappen topped the time sheets in the first session on Wednesday, but it was the Maranello squad who came out on top on the second and third day – Sainz on Thursday and Charles Leclerc on Friday.
Speaking with Sky Sports, Schiff highlighted Red Bull’s pace across the test, but insisted that Ferrari and Mercedes have taken a ‘step forward’.
"My takeaways from testing was first of all the pecking order is going to change this year. I think Red Bull was outstanding in terms of their pace, they stood out to me as good,” she said.
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Horner allegations lost Red Bull 'MONTHS' of development claims Villeneuve
"Mercedes stood out to me as taking a step forward quite clearly, Ferrari as well, they might be second best it looks like."
"RB impressed me and Sauber impressed me as well. The teams that have more work to do and will be slightly disappointed about where they will start the season is McLaren, Aston Martin.
"Williams seem to have taken a step backwards and reliability didn't seem to be on their side and Alpine, they did not have a great test."
READ MORE: Horner and Red Bull investigation given SCATHING verdict by F1 legend
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F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
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