“Don’t Imagine in a Million Years”: Charles Leclerc & Ferrari Thrown Out of Championship Contention Against Unbeatable Max Verstappen

The 2022 Formula 1 season saw a dominant Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing take the drivers’ championship for the second year in a row. Despite a strong start, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ultimately finished in second place, drawing criticism for his inconsistency against the Red Bull driver. And while many expect things to change at Ferrari following the appointment of their new team principal, Fred Vasseur, many are still pragmatic and consider Red Bull the favorites.

Joining the list is former Williams and Ferrari team and sponsorship manager Peter Windsor, who believes that Max Verstappen is still the favorite to win a third consecutive championship but sees potential for improvement at Ferrari and Mercedes.

Speaking in a Twitch stream Windsor dismissed Ferrari’s contention for the championship, saying, “As far as how [Ferrari] will go in 2023, I’m not sure that is in the hands of either Charles Leclerc or Freddy Vasseur. It’s in the hands, ultimately, of the technical team.”

“So I think it’ll be more competitive. I don’t imagine in a million years that Ferrari will have a better car race in, race out than Red Bull, but I think it’ll be a car that will be quite capable of winning races certainly.”

READ MORE: 2023 Promises Bright Season for Max Verstappen & Charles Leclerc Days Before the Lights Go Out

Windsor, while believing in Leclerc and Sainz’s capabilities, highlighted one restriction for Red Bull. He believes Red Bull doesn’t have much scope and is near the ceiling, meaning Mercedes and Ferrari will catch up more quickly.

Windsor makes predictions for Charles Leclerc and Co.

Windsor has been a longtime journalist and a known observer of the sport. He eyes Vasseur’s arrival as a boon for Leclerc, making a shift from the slight pull of Mattia Binotto’s towards Sainz.

Further speaking, Windsor made his prediction. He said, “How many races? I would guess six, maybe Sainz will win a couple of those. But I’d be surprised if they win more than six because I think Mercedes is going to win races as well, more races. So I think they’ll have a pretty good year and it’ll be fun to watch.”

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Can Charles Leclerc, along with Sainz, help boost morale at Ferrari? Given the early developments reported, things are looking good so far. But will it translate into consistency? It’s hard to say just yet.