Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez have sent separate warnings that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will have competition for silverware this season.
It's difficult to pick title favourites before the cars have been tested, but after such a dominant year Verstappen is the undoubted man to beat in 2023. Hamilton was out of the picture last season, but is always expected to play a part in an F1 title race if given a capable car.
Among the other contenders is Perez, who won two races last year but was overshadowed by his record-breaking Red Bull team-mate. Looking ahead to 2023, the Mexican feels he can close the gap to Verstappen.
"How we started in the first few races as a team, with the reliability issues that we had, to come away and do such a strong job as a team, it's very encouraging," Perez told reporters.
"And I really hope that we can keep this momentum going for Red Bull and come back next year even stronger. I believe that the competition will be a lot closer for next year, so I really hope that we can keep this momentum going."
The Mexican was denied second place in the drivers' standings last year by Leclerc, who had been Verstappen's closest rival for much of the year. His title push fell apart through a number of issues for Ferrari, but he will come into the new campaign rested and reinvigorated, ready for a more stern challenge.
"I think we all prepared for longer seasons, I hope it will be tight," said the Monegasque. "It's always nice to have a fight until the end. I'm prepared for more races and for a longer fight hopefully.
"I do believe that Mercedes will be in the fight. Another team? I haven't seen signs yet maybe to believe that another team will join the top three, but Mercedes will definitely be there next year with a very strong car.
"We've seen how much they've improved from the first race to the last race. I think they understood what they did wrong, and this is normally the sign that it will go better. So hopefully it will be a three-team fight next year."
