At the 2023 Las Vegas GP, Ferrari were arguably the fastest team on the grid. Now, with just the Abu Dhabi GP to go, team principal, Fred Vasseur has warned Red Bull of their current trajectory as they aim to finish the 2023 season on a high, per FormulaPassion.
“I think Leclerc drove an excellent race, overtaking a Red Bull three times, which doesn’t happen very often. We have not been far from being able to prevail over Red Bull, but even today they were a bit too much for us. They dominated and are dominating, but we were not far from beating them” beamed Vasseur.
“You should ask him… what do you think Charles?” 😂
Charles Leclerc on whether he thinks Ferrari will have the upper hand over Red Bull in Las Vegas 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/AFuDUd6be7
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 16, 2023
In 2023, the Bulls have been dominant. Throughout the season, they have won each and every race, except the 2023 Singapore GP. With Sainz grabbing P1 on that occasion, this year, no team other than Ferrari have managed to defeat the Milton-Keynes-based team.
2024 has already been written off in Red Bull’s favor. Be that as it may, with the Scuderia’s performance at the Vegas GP last week, and the warning Vasseur has issued, it would appear that a title challenge next year is already in the works at Maranello. But before they can tackle the Bulls in ’24, they have one last battle to win at the Abu Dhabi GP.
The final showdown between Mercedes and Ferrari
The Abu Dhabi GP is the last race of the F1 season. Throughout the course of the year, both, Mercedes and Ferrari have been locked into an intense battle for P2 in the Constructors’ championship. As we head into the final race, only 4 points separate the prancing horse from the Silver Arrows.
In the last few races have highlighted a troubling trend for the Brackley-based team. Mercedes has been struggling massively for pace. It was evident at Brazil and was conclusively proven last weekend at Vegas. Naturally, Ferrari seem like the favorites to wrap the championship up in their favor next race weekend.
Mercedes and Ferrari are heading to Abu Dhabi with 4 points gap in constructors pic.twitter.com/WmWNQqRHRa
— ahmed baokbah 🇸🇦🏎✈️ (@ahmed_baokbah) November 19, 2023
The W14 seemed like a pacey car just a few race weekends ago. However, the aerodynamic efficiency that makes cars like the RB19 supreme still evades the Silver Arrows. What’s more, the car also seems to be one of the draggiest cars on the entire grid.
On the back of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s efforts, Mercedes have been able to sustain P2 despite the W14’s inconsistent traits. But with such a small gap left to Ferrari, they are tipped to crumble under the pressure.
