The 2022 F1 season was probably a leveling out for the amazing high-stakes battle we witnessed in 2021. Red Bull certainly made a cakewalk to its first constructors’ title in 9 years. On the other hand, despite Ferrari faltering; they hope to keep up their challenge to the Bulls in the new year. Though, Charles Leclerc thinks 2023 won’t serve a duel and instead give us a 3-way fight for the championship. Now that has been rare in the turbo hybrid era.
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As per Motorsport.com, Leclerc spoke at the FIA Prize-Giving Gala in December 2022 about how Mercedes is looking strong to make a comeback. He stated, “I do believe that Mercedes will be in the fight [in 2023]. Another team? I haven’t seen signs yet maybe to believe that another team will join the top three.”
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“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.”
Charles addressed how the Brackley squad understood what went wrong in their 2022 car. Thus, he believes that they will progress further to join Ferrari and RBR at the top. He concluded, “So hopefully it will be a three-team fight next year.”
Formula One F1 – Spanish Grand Prix – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain – May 20, 2022 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell in action during practice REUTERS/Albert Gea
Leclerc would love to resolve his team’s core issues from last season to race with Lewis Hamilton and Co. more consistently. Though it is a bold claim to call Mercedes a title contender for 2023, their consistency in development beckons a strong 2023.
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While the Monegasque is unsure of whether another team like Alpine can make the cut to fight for wins, there is a remote possibility given their curve. Still, it will be primarily up to the Silver Arrows and Ferrari to challenge Red Bull’s supremacy in 2023.
Is Charles Leclerc right on Mercedes, or can someone else join Red Bull and Ferrari at the top?
As things stand, many can say that Charles Leclerc might be right about Mercedes joining the title fight. The manner in which they showed pace development in the latter half of 2022 was splendid.
Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – November 19, 2022 Mercedes’ George Russell in action during qualifying REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
So, there is a high chance they give Red Bull a run for the money come this season. Looking at their current development pattern, they may bridge the gap to some extent to the Milton Keynes outfit. Although if Red Bull’s gains are also good enough, Mercedes have some more catching up to do during the season to stay in the fight.
But besides them, the 2022 runners-up Ferrari will want to start on a fresh page. Erasing all their mistakes and putting up a solid challenge will be crucial to take down Red Bull over the season. But, the major issue they need to resolve is their engine’s reliability.
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The Scuderia lost multiple potential wins and podiums due to the poor reliability of the power unit last season. So, if they figure that out and gain some performance; it will spice up the title battle.
Formula One F1 – United States Grand Prix – Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, U.S. – October 23, 2022 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in action during the race REUTERS/Mike Segar
Though speaking of engine reliability, there is another team looking to make some gains in that aspect. Alpine was arguably the worst of all teams in terms of reliability on their PU. It may be long-shot to join the title fight for them, but they would love to gain some performance too on the engine to get into regular podium contention.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Charles Leclerc in a heated conversation with a Max Verstappen fan over dinner
Regardless, Red Bull’s supremacy needs a challenger or maybe two in 2023. As it stands; Mercedes and Ferrari look to be the two teams. But it ain’t guaranteed that either of them can sustain their challenge till the season finale. What do you think, can the Scuderia and the Silver Arrows defeat the Bulls in 2023?
