Eddie Irvine gives verdict on Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz amid Ferrari title fight

Here we are, the traffic lights are about to go out. Everything is ready at the Sakhir circuit, which tomorrow will host the first round of the 2023 Formula One championship, the Bahrain Grand Prix.

A new season that seems to once again begin with Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the front, just like the duo ended the previous F1campaign. Max Verstappen was the fastest in the winter pre-season testing session and took pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix. But Ferrari is right up there and will bot give up without a tough challenge. Yes, because, like the RB19, the SF-23 designed in Maranello appeared to be an extremely competitive car, with Charles Leclerc fighting for the pole position in Bahrain. This is crucial for the Prancing Horse’s championship hopes, with the hope of not repeating the mistakes made last season.

But what do ex-Ferraristi man think about the Maranello team’s current situation? Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport asked Eddie Irvine for an opinion. Let’s find out what the former Ferrari driver said.

Eddie Irvine’s analysis
First of all, Eddie Irvine was asked if, in his opinion, Max Verstappen will have any rivals in the 2023 Formula One championship. Eddie replied: “Verstappen is the clear favourite: the Dutchman comes after two World title wins and his Red Bull was already a very strong car in 2022. It’s up to his opponents to raise the level of their game and attack him. By winning two titles in a row he has taken all the pressure off his back and is now racing with great peace of mind.” – the ex-Ferrari man added.

Asked to share his thoughts on how things could be going for the Maranello team ahead of the new Formula 1 season, Eddie Irvine explained: “Ferrari has changed a bit: there is a new team principal, Frederic Vasseur, who replaced Mattia Binotto, a few new men at the pit wall, partly even the single-seater. The two drivers are very good indeed, Charles Leclerc is capable of winning a Formula 1 championship and Carlos Sainz is a fantastic number 2 in the team. But Charles has to avoid making mistakes when he is under pressure, I was surprised that he did a few more mistakes than expected a year ago and that disappointed me a little” – Eddie Irvine continued.

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Finally, focusing on “who will be the surprise of the new season”, he concluded: “It is not difficult to predict that the surprise of the season could be represented by the Aston Martin. Apart from Fernando Alonso, who is always motivated, the car seems to have been designed well and in testing left a good impression.” – he concluded.