Could Red Bull be favourites for 2018?

It’s difficult to look beyond both Mercedes and Ferrari to be the favourites for the 2018 Formula One World Championship.

Mercedes claimed their fourth consecutive constructors title in 2018, whilst Lewis Hamilton clinched his third championship in four seasons with the Silver Arrows.

Hamilton and his team-mate Valterri Bottas stood on the top step of the podium on 12 occasions over the course of the 20 race seasons.

Whilst Sebastian Vettel for Ferrari stood on the top step 5 times.

Red Bull Racing pair Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen meanwhile won a combined 3 Grand Prix.

But Aussie Ricciardo believes that Red Bull Racing were the team to show the most development throughout the season and if they can start on par with Mercedes and Ferrari in 2018 then they will be true contenders.

‘We just started off on the wrong foot, But the rate of development has been amazing, so I’m hoping if we can start on the right foot in 2018, you would argue we would be the favourites. Ricciardo told motorsport.com.

‘We would be in the hunt, We would have taken it to the end. At the start of the year, the chassis wasn’t where it needed to be. So it was both [chassis and engine].

‘Now our chassis has improved a lot. It’s back to the scenario where it’s more engine than chassis at the moment.

‘The chassis is still quite hard to get going but when it does, it’s very strong.’