Ferrari’s 2023 title chances have been questioned by fans despite claims their car could be at least one second quicker than last year. It comes after a series of leaks around Ferrari’s package from the Italian media in the run-up to their official launch on Valentine’s Day.
Charles Leclerc is bidding to battle Max Verstappen for the crown in 2023 after missing out on the title last year. Formu1a.uno reports that the team’s new model will be over one second faster than their 2022 car.
The “highly-qualified source” also suggests the team have made radical improvements to their performance in medium-high speed corners. However, the claims have been dismissed by F1 fans who predict Ferrari will not make substantial gains.
In an exclusive poll by Express Sport, 58 per cent said they did not believe rumors the car would be one second faster. By contrast 42 per cent threw their weight behind the claims after they emerged last week.
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Last season, former team boss Mattia Binotto admitted the Italian marque was dialing down their performance due to reliability concerns. Leclerc was forced out of the Spanish and Azerbaijan Grands Prix while leading after mechanical failures.
Binotto was ditched as team principal last season in exchange for Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur in a bid to turn around the team’s fortunes. In our poll, 56 per cent of readers said Vasseur was the right man to lead Ferrari forward.
However, a sizeable 44 per cent was unsure of Vasseur’s potential with just weeks to go before the start of the new campaign.
