Chandhock: 'Mercedes and Ferrari have better driver duo than Red Bull'

By most people, Karun Chandhock is remembered as a driving chicane during the 11 Grands Prix the Indian ever drove. In the competitive Lotus of 2011, he once finished 20th and last, four laps down from race winner Lewis Hamilton and even a lap behind the number 19. These days, Chandhock is a critical analyst at Sky Sports.

For his sponsor Betway, Chandhok looked back on the past season in Formula 1 and ahead to 2023. As such, he hinted to the betting company that he does not see the driver duo at Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, as the absolute best. "I’ve said it before and I still maintain it, I believe that Ferrari have the second-best driver lineup in F1, after Mercedes, as a collective. Charles and Carlos are very talented drivers, very hungry, very good work ethic, and they're young enough to have a long-term future. So, they've got the talent in the cockpit, but they've got to work with it, they've got to create the team structure around them to make it happen", Chandhok said.

Mercedes

The pundit said he hopes Mercedes will make a serious steps towards on the top spot next year. "Mercedes’ competitiveness is the No. 1 question for me going into next season. I think it's pretty safe to assume that Red Bull are going to be in the hunt. Ferrari need to get the house in order. They underachieved last year if you look at their potential."

In terms of the breaktrough driver for 2023, Chandhok is expecting it to be George Russell. Although the Mercedes driver is starting his fifth season at the highest level, the pundit still calls him the man who will be the man to look at. Russell already won his first Grand Prix this season and finished above his teammate Lewis Hamilton in the standings.