Ferrari F1 2023: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, what to expect
Ferrari will be hoping to build on a promising 2022 F1 season with title glory.
What can we expect from Ferrari?
With the F1 regulations remaining relatively stable for 2023, there’s no reason why Ferrari won’t be challenging for regular race victories and pole positions once again.
Their 2022 challenger has been lighting quick but poor reliability combined with strategy blunders has put an end to their realistic title hopes.
Still, it’s the first time since 2008 Ferrari has had the outright quickest car relative to the competition.
Should it make crucial improvements operationally, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will be serious contenders next year.
Will Ferrari learn from their mistakes?
Despite having a fast enough car in 2022, Ferrari simply haven’t made the most of it.
Whether it’s been driver errors, poor strategy or their engines blowing up, Ferrari have handed Max Verstappen and Red Bull the title on a plate.
The question is - will Ferrari learn from their mistakes?
Mattia Binotto has insisted he won’t make changes despite an error-filled first part of the 2022 season.
"It's not a matter of bad luck, and there is nothing to change as well," Binotto said after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"It's always a matter of continuous learning and building, building experience, building skills.
"Certainly there is something that you need to look at and understand why. But if I look again at the balance of the first half of the season, there is no reason why we should change.
"I think we simply need to address what was wrong today, we need to understand, and then to address and get back competitive at the 12 races so far [before Hungary] and the reason why it could not be the case at the next one.”
If things don’t improve, Binotto might be the one who is changed.
Leclerc’s coming of age
Leclerc has demonstrated consistently during his Ferrari career that he has the talent and speed to sit at the same table as Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
However, he needs to tone down the mistakes.
Crucial errors at Imola and Paul Ricard have contributed to his likely title defeat to Verstappen.
Verstappen and Hamilton made plenty of mistakes during their careers as well before adding consistency.
Leclerc will likely be the same and 2023 needs to be the season that happens.
