Windsor: 'Red Bull is at the limit of what you can do in these regulations'

Peter Windsor expects a more competitive battle in Formula 1 next season. Because Red Bull Racing is at the limit of the regulations, the British analyst thinks Ferrari could get closer to Max Verstappen.

Verstappen dominantly won the title in 2022 after defeating Ferrari, but the Red Bull Racing driver is expected to face a tougher challenge this year. Charles Leclerc had to settle for second place last season, but led by new team boss Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari wants to come back stronger in 2023.

Windsor, the former Williams and Ferrari team manager, sees Verstappen as the big favourite in 2023. Yet Red Bull will have a tougher time than usual because of the budget cap penalty, which causes the team to lose time in the wind tunnel. Windsor expects Ferrari and Mercedes to make great strides. The Italians' success is ultimately not in the hands of Vasseur, but of the technical team.

"It doesn’t come down to resources, it doesn’t come down to money. It comes down to talent and brainpower, which is why Red Bull are as good as they are because it’s ultimately Adrian Newey’s design team that creates that car," Windsor begins in his Twitch stream.

"The logical thing to say is that Ferrari will be a bit nearer Red Bull probably. Red Bull are pretty near the ceiling [of the regulations] and Ferrari and Mercedes are going to get somewhere near Red Bull because Red Bull haven’t got a lot more scope with which to play. They’re just about at the limit of what you can do in these regulations. That’s the way I see it," Windsor continues.

The Briton therefore expects the field to be more competitive next season. In addition, Windsor thinks Mercedes will also win more races this year, but the F1 expert does not expect the team will win the world title with George Russell or Lewis Hamilton.

"I’d put more money on that than I would on Lewis – or George for that matter. But I think, right now, it would be weird not to think about Max winning again," Windsor ends.