“So hopefully it will be a three team fight next year” Charles Leclerc believes Mercedes will be back in the title fight in 2023


“So hopefully it will be a three team fight next year” Charles Leclerc believes Mercedes will be back in the title fight in 2023

Charles Leclerc (L), George Russell in the Mercedes W13 (R)

Mercedes started 2022 far behind Red Bull and Ferrari – it almost seemed like a reversal of their years of domination preceding it. They had a mountain to climb and made considerable progress throughout the season. In the second half of the season (after the technical directive regarding porpoising came into effect), they were almost on level pegging with Ferrari.

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However, their wait for a win continued until the penultimate race weekend in Brazil, where they dominated, with George Russell winning both the sprint and leading a 1-2 in the feature race. Unfortunately, because they ‘got going’ too late, they had to settle for third in the championship – but that also means they will have more wind tunnel time than their potential rivals.

With Red Bull’s cost cap penalty (10 percent reduced wind tunnel time), there is even more potential for a three-way fight in 2023. Ferrari are also in a period of upheaval, with the arrival of Frederic Vasseur from Alfa Romeo being announced recently. The expectations for him are, clearly, to bring back the title to Maranello – as will be the case with any future team principal as well.

Charles Leclerc, who saw his chances for the title in 2022 slip away, will welcome a three-way championship fight in 2023: “I do believe that Mercedes will be in the fight. We’ve seen how much they’ve improved from the first race to the last race. I think they understood what they did wrong. This is normally the sign that it will go better. So hopefully it will be a three team fight next year.” he said, as per RaceFans.

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Also Read: Charles Leclerc reveals Mattia Binotto gesture before resigning as Ferrari team principal

Charles Leclerc is happy with closer competition

Charles Leclerc (IMAGO/ ZUMA Wire)
Charles Leclerc (IMAGO/ ZUMA Wire)

The goal for Formula 1 in the future is to create closer championships and better racing – this is why the 2022 regulations came into being. While it is unlikely that all teams will ever be on an equal footing, for the sport, the more teams are involved, the better experience there is for the viewers. But even the drivers would like closer championships.

Charles Leclerc’s goal is to win the championship, but he will be okay with a three-way fight for it, even if it potentially means there is less chance for him to win. According to the Monegasque, it gets ‘interesting’ with a three-way fight: “Of course. But not only me, I think everybody. I think the more cars are involved, the closer the cars are, the happier the drivers are, because that’s when it gets interesting.”

Three-way fight or not, the goal for Ferrari and Leclerc will be to get back to a good place in 2023 – since the Australian GP in April, they were plagued by reliability failures and strategic errors, and after the summer break, they did not possess the pace to compete with Red Bull. Catching up with, or usurping Red Bull will be the goal, regardless of whether Mercedes are in the mix or not.

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Also Read: “I don’t think he sees Leclerc as a threat in the same way that he sees Hamilton,” Jack Aitken dissects Max Verstappen’s rivalries in 2021 and 2022 season of F1 

Also Read: “We started the 100-meter sprint race, 10 meters behind everyone,” Toto Wolff talks about Mercedes’ surprising downfall in 2022