After 2 successive World Championship wins, Max Verstappen gears up for another season. After a formidable 2022 campaign where he claimed 15 race wins, it’s safe to assume Verstappen to be a front-runner in 2023 as well.
The reigning World Champion will be eager to add another title to his record. If Verstappen achieves it, he’ll become only the 5th driver in F1 history to have achieved 3 championships on the trot.
However, the mission won’t be easy as Verstappen will face stiff opposition from Mercedes and Ferrari. Added to that, Red Bull has also been hit by sanctions following their cost cap violation.
Handing over the reins to @Max33Verstappen 🔑 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/WFik7OfmwP
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) February 24, 2023
However, F1 Pundit Ted Kravitz believes 2023 will be another year of smooth sailing for the Dutchman and his team. And Kravitz reasons that the team won’t have any trouble for 2023 as well.
Also Read: Max Verstappen’s Hilarious Reaction When Interrupted During Interview With Daniel Ricciardo
Kravitz predicts Red Bull and Verstappen won’t be affected by Cost Cap Fine
Sky Sports F1 Presenter Ted Kravitz Red Bull and Max Verstappen are already in a different league compared to the rest of the grid. And the team will also escape the brunt of their cost cap sanctions.
Kravitz believes Red Bull will be running a lightweight chassis they introduced and designed towards the end of 2022. This means the RB19 is already under FIA’s minimum weight requirements.
Red Bull was found guilty of breaching F1’s $145 million cost cap through 2021. The team were fined $7 Million and a 10% reduction in its Wind Tunnel testing time. Fans predicted the restrictions will severely affect the RB19’s performance and hinder its championship targets.
📰: Red Bull receives a $7 million fine and a 10% reduction in the amount of time it takes to construct a car.Breach was £1,864,000 ($2.2m), or 1.6%; however, FIA recognised that if a tax credit had been properly applied, the breach would have been £432,652 ($0.5m), or 0.37%.#F1 pic.twitter.com/ssthu6dR4E
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) October 28, 2022
But Kravitz states the sanctions won’t kick in soon enough to punish the team. He reasons, “They have done all the aerodynamic work and design before the restrictions on their accepted breach agreement of the cost cap restrictions came in.”
Ted added, “So they’ve done all the work before that even comes in. Towards the end of this year and next year, it will start to bite.”
Max Verstappen on a league of his own
Max Verstappen claimed 15 race wins and 454 points in 2022, both new records set by the Dutchman. His form and consistency are in a league of their own according to Ted Kravitz.
Ted has labelled Max as his likely 2023 Champion. The Sky Sports Pundit firmly believes the Dutchman is the best driver in the current F1 grid “even considering Lewis Hamilton.”
Will Max Verstappen join the exclusive club of winning 3 world championships in a row? 🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/4E6jx3RgUu
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) February 17, 2023
Kravitz said, “We haven’t seen the championship form of Lewis yet because he hasn’t been in a championship since the end of 2021.” Hamilton struggled last year and recorded a winless campaign for the first time in his F1 career.
Meanwhile, Kravitz added, “Max Verstappen is bang in form. And I think that is the third part of their secret weapon which should make them nigh on unbeatable.”
The Red Bull driver has already shown a sneak peek of his pace in the Pre-season testing so far. And when the lights go out for the Season opener in Bahrain, Verstappen will be ready to fight for his 3rd crown.
Also Read: Charles Leclerc Is Unconcerned by Max Verstappen’s Exploits on Day 1 of Testing
