“Mercedes will be in the fight”: Charles Leclerc believes 2023 F1 season will be three-horse race

In the last decade, Mercedes has dominated the F1 for most of it. However, in 2022, the Silver Arrows was nowhere near the title contention and was just a shadow of its former self.

They could only get only one win out of the entire 22 races. Yet, they didn’t fall much from their previous grace, as they were still the third-best team on the grid but were far away from race speed compared to the title-winner Red Bull.

Fortunately, Toto Wolff claims that it will only get better from here. Taking their no sidepod concept further, Mercedes promises a competitive 2023.

Also read: F1 Team Principals 2023: Who are the people in charge of all ten Formula 1 teams for the 2023 season?

Charles Leclerc believes in Mercedes’s redemption

2022 was more about Ferrari and Red Bull before it soon became about Red Bull’s dominance. While Ferrari also claims to improve, their driver Charles Leclerc believes even Mercedes will be in the title contention next year.

“I do believe that Mercedes will be in the fight,” Leclerc said. “We’ve seen how much they’ve improved from the first race to the last race. I think they understood what they did wrong. This is normally the sign that it will go better. So hopefully it will be a three team fight next year.”

This assumption is coming after the pace gain in Mercedes by the end of the season. Their performance in Brazil showed that they could nail the new regulations and be back at the top.

Bye 2022 👋🏼, and are you Ready 2023 😍 pic.twitter.com/u4sMeEd9K8

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesF1_Team) December 11, 2022

Lewis Hamilton is shooting for another title

Hamilton has won seven titles in his 15-year-long F1 career. The Mercedes superstar eyes are back at the top in the next season and going for another title.

The biggest hiccup can be George Russel, who became one of his rare teammates to beat him in the grid positions. Thus, he is considered his biggest threat within Mercedes since Nico Rosberg.

So, if Mercedes comes in to vie for the title, it will remain to be seen how the harmonious relations between the two will be maintained. Moreover, Mercedes man management will also be tested.

Will they have to sacrifice one? That would be tough, as one is their legend and the other their future. The choice will be hard. However, Hamilton has admitted that he realizes Russell is brought in to take the baton from him, and he would be there to mentor him. But in F1, egos end up clashing always.

Also read: Max Verstappen reveals he would choose a different approach than his father

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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