Following the winter pre-season testing session, which took place last week at the Bahrain International Circuit and waiting for the first Grand Prix of the 2023 F1 world championship, that will be held at the same venue next weekend in Sakhir, there is no lack of final considerations relating to the potential of the cars which will take to the track this year, from those that impressed in testing to those that, presumably, will face more difficulties, at least in the first rounds of the season.
The main comments are based especially on what the challenges between the top teams could be, also and above all in comparison with the scenarios of the last world championship.
Ferrari vs Red Bull: the view of Alexander Wurz
In this sense, among the relevant opinions, there is also the view of Alexander Wurz, a former Formula 1 driver and now President of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association. The 49-year-old Austrian, in an interview reported by the newspaper Krone, focused above all on the role that Scuderia Ferrari could play in the upcoming campaign, even more in comparison to Red Bull, which remains the absolute favorite for the 2023 championship together with its driver Max Verstappen: “For me it will be very similar to last year – he commented – Ferrari can get close on the flying lap, but there is too much degradation on the long run, and this could be their weak point. However, on tracks with less rough asphalt and less understeer, they could challenge Red Bull” – the Austrian former professional racing driver, driver training expert and businessman explained.
And Mercedes?
Asked about the rest of the teams, Alexander Wurz also shared his thoughts on Mercedes, without however overreacting, despite the difficulties encountered by Toto Wolff’s team during the pre-season testing session in Sakhir: “For me it is the most difficult team to evaluate – he added – the television footage showed that the car does not run as if it were on rails. There are issues with the rear, but perhaps they also drove with a lower engine setting. However, I don’t think too much bluffing does any good, and they know it. I think they are a little behind Ferrari.” – he pointed out.
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Pass and fail
Among the teams that impressed him the most, Alexander Wurz indicated Aston Martin as the one that made the most evident progress, while showing concern for McLaren: “Aston Martin is the one that has made the best steps forward – he concluded – the long runs have been promising, and I see them at the top of the mid-table teams. The opposite case is that of McLaren, which has taken the biggest step backwards: I see a car with too much aerodynamic resistance”. – the President of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association concluded.
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