2. Aston Martin Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen has certainly outperformed his equipment on many occasions so far this season to propel himself to third place in the driver standings ahead of both of the Ferrari drivers.
But Red Bull Racing’s recent improvements and the strides that they have made in their first season using Honda engines after ending their 12-year partnership with Renault has made clear that they are legitimate contenders in Formula 1 for the first time since they won their fourth consecutive championship in the 2013 season.
The only reason Red Bull Racing are not in second place in the constructor standings is because Pierre Gasly has underperformed to an extreme extent in his first season driving for the team. Verstappen has both Ferrari drivers covered handily in the driver standings, but Gasly has been competing with the McLaren and Alfa Romeo drivers among others for much of the season.
Red Bull Racing should have a better chance to challenge for second place now that they have replaced Gasly with Alexander Albon from Toro Rosso.
1. Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport
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Take away Ferrari’s numerous mechanical failures, strategy gaffes and unforced errors and take away Red Bull Racing’s Hungarian Grand Prix strategy mistake, and Mercedes would still be leading Formula 1 with six or seven victories through the season’s first 12 races, at least two to three victories clear of the next closest team.
Mercedes’ position atop the constructor standings certainly isn’t as good as their 10 victories make it seem given how many times circumstances have played into their hands, but there is no doubt that they have the best car in Formula 1, just like they have in each season going back to the start of the V6 turbo hybrid era in 2014.
At no point in the 2019 season have Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas run outside of the top two in the driver standings. But Verstappen could change that in the near future as Red Bull Racing truly begin to illustrate how close the battle is among these two teams and begin their attempt to dethrone the Silver Arrows.
How will the cars of Formula 1‘s 10 teams stack up against one another throughout the remainder of the 2019 season? The 13th race on the 21-race schedule is the Belgian Grand Prix, and it is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 1. This race it set to be broadcast live on ESPN2 from Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium beginning at 9:05 a.m. ET.