As the 2023 Formula 1 championship is now approaching its conclusion in the last weekend on the track in Abu Dhabi, Charles Leclerc has assessed Ferrari’s disappointing season.
After a 2022 F1 season in which he managed to challenge Max Verstappen for the title for almost half the season, Charles Leclerc approached the 2023 season with great enthusiasm, believing he could finally launch an assault on the title and bring the championship back to Maranello after 15 years. However, the SF23 quickly revealed all its shortcomings compared to the RB19 spaceship, with Ferrari set to battle for only the runner-up spot with Mercedes in Abu Dhabi.
Charles Leclerc’s assessment of the 2023 Ferrari season
“We expected to come into this season to fight for the championship, but we knew from the beginning that we hadn’t made the step to compete with Red Bull,” admitted the Monegasque in the press conference on the eve of the Abu Dhabi GP, the final race of the 2023 season.
“After the first race, we immediately understood how difficult it would be. From that moment on, it was a bit disappointing. If you forget about last season, we made a lot of progress during the year, which is positive and makes me confident for the future. We will work hard during the winter break to have a car capable of winning.”
The high expectations at the start of the championship immediately clashed with a very different reality. While the F1-75 was able to keep pace with the Milton Keynes team until the halfway point in the summer break, the SF23 never managed to genuinely threaten the RB19, except for the anomalous weekend in Singapore.
Carlos Sainz’s victory at Marina Bay will indeed remain the highlight of the Ferrari 2023 season, with Leclerc coming very close to securing the second seasonal triumph for the team in the last race in Las Vegas.
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Having filed away another shattered championship dream, Ferrari has immediately focused on the battle for second place with Mercedes, with the Silver Arrows still holding a 4-point advantage over the Prancing Horse as they approach Abu Dhabi.
Speaking specifically about the battle with Mercedes, Charles Leclerc finally stated, “It will be very tight. We have good momentum coming into this race, but Mercedes is fast in Abu Dhabi.”
“We are ready to give them a hard time. It will be a tough race as always. Everyone is super motivated to beat Mercedes, but we have to work on the track.” – the Ferrari man concluded, ahead of the 2023 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will mark the end of the current championship.
Source: f1ingenerale
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