Formula One 2017 predictions: Johnny Herbert runs the rule over the ten racing teams

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Johnny Herbert25 March 2017

Johnny’s verdict: Mercedes are quick and consistent again and for me they’re still the team to beat. They know they go pretty well at every track on the calendar, which is a big psychological boost — there’s no big gremlins out there for them.

Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Johnny’s verdict: Max said he thought Red Bull’s car wasn’t quite a race winner yet but that could just be pre-season sandbagging. They’re third in the pecking order right now but such is their in-season development that could all change.

Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Johnny’s verdict: Ferrari look quick. How quick, no one quite knows but there’s a quiet confidence there. The Vettel frustrations of last season have gone and Kimi’s looking as quick as he ever has. Right now, they’re the No1 threat to Mercedes.

Photo: Scuderia Ferrari via Getty Images
Scuderia Ferrari via Getty Images

Johnny’s verdict: For the budget they have, they did a cracking job last year and continue to do so. I like their demeanour and how they go about racing. With talk of money being shared more evenly among the teams hopefully they’ll become more of a threat.

Photo: Handout/Sahara Force India via Getty Images
Handout/Sahara Force India via Getty Images

Johnny’s verdict: Paddy Lowe is a great addition to the team as their technical boss, the other big change being Lance Stroll coming in. I know Stroll has his critics but Felipe Massa got a reputation for crashing left, right and centre in his early days.

Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images
Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

Johnny’s verdict: The current situation looks dreadful — it has echoes of when Williams went from dominating to those wilderness years. I never thought it would get this bad but it’s now worse than last year — a car that’s 20km/h slower on the straights than its rivals.

Photo: McLaren F1 via Getty Images
McLaren F1 via Getty Images

Johnny’s verdict: First of all, the car looks good and they’ve got a great driver pairing. I’m delighted that Dani Kvyat settled after what happened at Red Bull — that’s been a great comeback. They’ll do well, how well in a bunched midfield I don’t know.

Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images
Clive Mason/Getty Images

Johnny’s verdict: Out of the blocks, they shouldn’t be too bad but last year they suffered with a lack of in-season development — that was very poor — and that might be the case again. They still have brake issues but have a great natural talent in Romain Grosjean.

Photo: Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images
Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images

Johnny’s verdict: Things look okay and there appears to be a nice vibe in the team. Renault didn’t look quite as competitive as they might have hoped but Nico Hulkenberg is a great addition and Jolyon Palmer did a good job last year. I hope it comes together.

Photo: Niklas HallenAFP/Getty Images
Niklas HallenAFP/Getty Images

Johnny’s verdict: Testing didn’t go brilliantly but with the takeover it was always going to be a little late for this season. It’ll be a long journey but they’ll bring in the right personnel. Sauber are a team I like a lot, team principal Monisha Kaltenborn, in particular.

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