RUNNING OF THE BULL

Red Bull Racing heads into this year's Formula One season as the undisputed top gun. So, who will take the fight to them? We check out the field to find some answers...

- STEWART BELL

MCLAREN

McLaren looked to be the closest to Red Bull on balance last year but will need to take another yet another step forward to stay ahead of its rivals, which have underperformed across the last two seasons. The squad was the sport's big mover last season, with upgrades in Azerbaijan and Austria transforming its season. McLaren then became a podium magnet, with Lando Norris scoring seven of the squad's total of nine across the last 13 races - helping it to fourth in the constructors' standings.

Norris also took two Sprint podiums, as did unofficial 'rookie of the year' Oscar Piastri, one of which was his maiden Sprint win in Qatar. The young Australian, who is managed by his countryman, ex-F1 driver Mark Webber, proved to be a star of the future last year given his mature race craft and searing, natural pace and won himself a contract extension through to 2026. "I think that we're fully expecting to go into the year fighting for more, or at least making our good weekends we've had this year every weekend," Piastri said last season. "But I'm sure Mercedes and Ferrari have the same idea."

FERRARI

Scuderia Ferrari may have been the only team other than Red Bull to win a race last season, with Carlos Sainz on top in Singapore, but the squad must deliver a more competitive car in 2024. The Prancing Horse largely struggled with an unpredictable SF23 car last year, which suffered from excessive tyre wear, and inconsistent pace - across stints and tyre compounds - in races. But Charles Leclerc says Ferrari is confident it will make a "significant step forward," with knowledge gained since last year's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort lifting the red team's morale.