Red Bull and Mercedes point to each other: ''Nobody wants to be the favorite''

That Red Bull Racing and Mercedes will battle it out for the title in 2021 seems clear, but which of the two is ahead in this duel is still uncertain. For Formula1.com, Lawrence Barretto and David Alorka discuss who the favourite is.

Hamilton points to Verstappen

The first two races of this season were won by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. When one won, the other was on pole and finished second. So it is all very close. Mercedes has the most points after two races, but both teams point to each other when the favourite has to be identified.

''It is still too early to say who is ahead. Because of the race in Imola, you haven't really been able to compare in dry conditions either. That is why Christian (Horner) points to Mercedes and Toto (Wolff) points to Red Bull. They want to wait for four or five races before they can say something,'' Barretto says in the Weekend Warm-Up.

Red Bull a slight lead

Alorka spoke to Lewis Hamilton prior to the weekend, and he had something remarkable to say. ''He calls Red Bull favourites for the whole season. So not even for this race, but also for the whole season'', says Alorka. ''It's clear that nobody wants to have the stamp of the favourite. Nobody wants to be the favourite,'' says Barretto.

Still, Barretto dares to make a small prediction for the race in Portugal. ''I think Mercedes will be closer to Red Bull in the race, and that's not surprising, because Mercedes has always had a good car for the race in recent years. So it makes sense that they can pull it off there. In qualifying, it's maybe about a gap of a few tenths in Red Bull's favour'', the presenter concludes.