“I Expect Ferrari Will Be Strong Opponents” – Max Verstappen Does Not Rule Out a 2023 Title Battle With Charles Leclerc

Max Verstappen comfortably won the title in 2022 by claiming 15 race wins and 454 points. Except for the early hiccups last season, Verstappen cruised comfortably to seal the championship with a win at the Japanese GP.

However, for Charles Leclerc, the season was a lesson learned. Despite having a 46-point advantage over the Dutchman, Leclerc was unable to end Ferrari’s 17-year wait to claim the Drivers Championship.

 

And with that the 2022 season comes to an end 🏁👑pic.twitter.com/BkDKor8AwM

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) January 5, 2023

Ferrari has made some key changes to its leadership, appointing Fred Vasseur as their Team Principal. And Verstappen anticipates a motivated Ferrari team could be hard to beat in 2023.

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Max Verstappen does not want to underestimate Ferrari

Despite winning the 2022 Championship in style, Max Verstappen says Ferrari will be stronger this year. The Dutchman claims the Italians will be working closely on their car this year after last season’s heartbreak.

Max said, “I have no idea how they are improving the car. I think time will tell. They are an amazing team. Of course, there has been a change, but at the end of the day I think they had already defined the direction they wanted to work in.”

 

Red Bull reveal their look for 2023! 🤩📸#F1 @RedBullRacing pic.twitter.com/jcIxB1X5lR

— Formula 1 (@F1) February 3, 2023

He added, “They wanted to improve the car and the engine department. So I expect them to continue on this path and are certainly strong opponents.”

Max believes Mercedes can finally resume their rivalry in 2023. Mercedes stepped up their performance in the latter part of last season, claiming a race victory at the Brazilian GP.

Also Read: Max Verstappen Insists That His Rivalry With Lewis Hamilton Will Resume in 2023

“I just want a fast car,” says Verstappen

Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo were present at the RB19 Launch in New York. The Dutchman will be preparing to defend his 2nd Championship crown.

The Dutchman hasn’t seen any renders of the new Red Bull car. But he is aware of the car’s lap times after spending some practice runs in the Simulator.

“The first feelings have been really good”

Max and Checo share their thoughts on the RB19 and testing ahead 🗣️👀#F1 @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/7Rb9PLmRcF

— Formula 1 (@F1) February 3, 2023

Verstappen says he is optimistic about the car and himself ahead of his 9th season in F1. But its too son to make predictions about the title.

As he stated, As he says, “I’m not interested in these kinds of things; I only want a fast car, and it doesn’t matter what it looks like to me.”

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