F1 2017 Preview: Red Bull or dark horse?
Perhaps the biggest question mark of 2017 so far is where Red Bull Racing feature in the pecking order.
A revival of sorts in 2016 and a change of regulations expected to play to its strengths saw Red Bull hyped up as the team most likely to remove Mercedes from its pedestal but the Austrian outfit ended pre-season testing further adrift than anticipated.
Engine supplier Renault overhauled its design of the 2017 power unit, introducing a second-generation Energy Recovery System to accompany a new architecture on the internal combustion engine.
Early power unit gremlins troubled Red Bull's start to testing which limited the team to a total of 684 laps, although curiously, both the team and drivers kept relatively calm during the two tests despite being close to a second off Ferrari's benchmark.
While it would be considered a normal reaction for Red Bull to affront Renault for not delivering a competitive power unit, the team instead praised the Renault's driveability and power which had been a persistent issue in recent years.
This begs the question: is Red Bull quietly confident about their package for 2017? Just like Mercedes the team has yet to show its hand, but rival outfits aren't counting them out of the equation for Melbourne, especially given their track record of developing a car.
On the penultimate day of pre-season testing, Daniel Ricciardo said that Red Bull struggled to match the pace of Ferrari and Mercedes, but on the same day completed 127 laps around the Circuit de Catalunya. If Renault and Red Bull have ironed out the issues in reliability, and the Milton Keynes outfit is happy with the power Renault has supplied with its upgraded power unit, then it is entirely plausible there is more to the Austrian team's testing story than what's being revealed.
Another fascinating prospect Red Bull hold for us this season is the dynamic pairing of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. It's the first time we will get to see the drivers on a level playing field, as Ricciardo held more experience with the RB12 before Verstappen was promoted to the squad in May.
Both coming off a 2016 season with a win apiece and 15 podiums between them, a chance at regular race wins and a possible championship raises the stakes. As Ricciardo and Verstappen share a similar mentality yet take different approaches when it comes to racecraft, the battle for Red Bull supremacy will be an intriguing one to watch unfold.
By Josh Kruse
