Red Bull: The Return of a Strong Team
After a disappointing 2015 season, where they only managed to finish fourth in the constructors' championship with a podium and no victories, Red Bull emerged as Mercedes' main rival in the previous campaign. They regained the second spot in the standings and claimed the only two wins that were not taken by the Silver Arrows.
The engine saga had a happy ending, and the Renault engine, named TAG Heuer for one of the sponsors, proved to be competitive from the start, pushing Ferrari down to the last place on the podium.
The key to Red Bull's success lies in their drivers. They have a winning combination with two young and capable racers.
Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo made a significant leap, finishing eighth in 2015 and landing third in 2016, just behind the Mercedes drivers. He secured eight podium finishes, including a victory in Malaysia. His celebration, known as the "shoey," involves drinking champagne from his racing boot.
However, this year, with the rule changes, Ricciardo's ascent must continue. He aims to be a genuine alternative to British driver Lewis Hamilton, not only fighting for race victories but also vying for his first driver's championship.
At the beginning of 2016, his teammate was Russian driver Daniil Kvyat. However, Kvyat was replaced by Dutch driver Max Verstappen after the Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen had initially raced for Red Bull's sister team, Toro Rosso, in the first four races of the season.
The 19-year-old prodigy took F1 by storm, winning his maiden race in Barcelona and becoming the youngest driver ever to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
His daring style has earned him both enemies and impressive results. He finished the season with six additional podium finishes and secured fifth place in the driver's championship.
With this winning combination and a potential decline from Mercedes due to the regulation changes, the Austrian team aspires to reclaim their position from the Sebastian Vettel era, where they won four consecutive titles.
The results from the Barcelona tests were not as positive as expected. Verstappen had the sixth-best overall time, and Ricciardo ranked ninth, even being surpassed by Williams' Felipe Massa, who had a Mercedes engine.
Nevertheless, it is expected that Renault will make the necessary adjustments to the power unit, and with the strong chassis, Red Bull should be able to compete with Mercedes and Ferrari.
If they succeed, Red Bull will rely on their two talented drivers to improve on their 2016 results when they were the main opposition to Mercedes' dominance, causing frustration for Ferrari, who could never catch up to them.
This would mark the end of the Mercedes era and the beginning of a new chapter for Red Bull in Formula 1. And surely, the celebration will involve Daniel Ricciardo's signature shoey, to commemorate even greater achievements.