Not Max Verstappen, Ferrari Squad Warned of the One Red Bull Roadblock on Their Path to F1 Glory

FIA’s attempt to level the playing field by introducing new regulations in 2022 arguably went down the drain. Red Bull ran away with both championships in a mighty dominant fashion. However, things did not start out as easily in the season as the results suggest. There was a phase when they were slower than Ferrari. Their former driver has credited Red Bull’s mastermind for their success and believes he is the real challenge, not Max Verstappen.

Ferrari gave the Tifosi hopes of a much-awaited resurgence when they won 2 races from the first three fixtures of the season. There was a phase when their star driver, Charles Leclerc, was 46 points ahead of the eventual champion Max Verstappen. However, as the season moved forward, the Maranello-based team made little progress while the Milton-Keynes-based outfit took big leaps courtesy of their CTO Adrian Newey.

Speaking with Autosprint, Jean Alesi said, “If we really look at how things stand, the real factor to consider is Adrian Newey.” “Ever since F1 announced that there were new rules and engineers were given freedom, Newey has been making a difference,” he added.

“Newey has become the decisive factor, because he is able like no other to keep improving the car during the season, even if it’s only small changes. In the end, though, they are small gains.”

“That’s why I don’t think it will be a battle between Verstappen and Leclerc, but fundamentally between Newey and Ferrari. If he again comes up with a masterpiece, everything will be very difficult again this year. On the other hand, if this year’s Red Bull car will have something fallible and fragile, things could change.”

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As the season concluded, Ferrari finished 2nd in the constructors’ standings. Despite that, Helmut Marko feels Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton will be a bigger threat to his team in 2023.

Helmut Marko wary of Lewis Hamilton’s threat to Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance

Mercedes’ dominance ended in 2022 as the constructors’ championship went to Milton Keynes. Lewis Hamilton, for the first time in his 16-year-long F1 career, went a full season without a race win. However, as the season progressed towards the final 4 races, the Brackley-based team looked to be returning on track. They even registered a 1-2 finish in Brazil.

Talking with Sport Bild last month, Marko said, “Ferrari is strong, but Mercedes will be stronger as a whole. Especially with a driver like Lewis Hamilton. He’s still a top pilot. Although Ferrari also has a very good driver in Leclerc, he still makes mistakes.”

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With all the drivers and team principals jumping ship before the start of the 2023 season, things are sure to get spicy. Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes have had stable boats all along. Can’t wait for the action to start!