Formula 1 | Leclerc is a better “bet” for the F1 championship in 2023 than Hamilton or Russell

Former Ferrari or Williams F1 team manager Peter Windsor believes Charles Leclerc is more likely to become Formula 1 world champion in 2023 than Lewis Hamilton or George Russell.

The former manager believes that Red Bull will not be able to go as far as Ferrari and Mercedes in F1 this year after a dominant season in 2022. So he envisions a battle between these three teams in front of the net.

As for the Scuderia, he is not sure if Frédéric Vasseur will have all the keys to undo the mistakes he made last season. Therefore, the members of the technical team will have to move forward in order not to repeat their failures.

“As for how Ferrari will perform in 2023, I’m not sure if that’s in the hands of Charles Leclerc or Frédéric Vassor. It’s ultimately in the hands of the technical team.” Windsor believes.

“A new manager can say, ‘We all have to work hard, focus on this, do this,’ in the end, it’s all about talent and brain power.”

“It’s not about resources, it’s not about money. It’s about talent and brainpower, and that’s why Red Bull is as strong as it is. Because Adrian Newey’s design team builds the car.”

“So, based on what Ferrari’s technical department has achieved in 2022, and given that the tuning changes are relatively minor and there are frozen spring power units, how will the quality of the car be in 2023? “Ferrari will probably be a little closer to Red Bull.”

“Red Bull is very close to the limit in terms of performance, so Ferrari and Mercedes will come close because Red Bull doesn’t have much room to manoeuvre. They are at the edge of what you can do in these regulations… That’s how I see it.”

“So I think it will be more competitive. I don’t imagine Ferrari will have a better race car than Red Bull, but I think it will be a car fully capable of winning races.”

“How many races? I’d say six, maybe Carlos Sainz will win a few. But I’d be surprised if they win more than six, because I think Mercedes will win races too, maybe even more. So I think they have a it’s going to be a pretty good year and it’s going to be fun to watch.”

“Charles Leclerc will be world champion” isn’t a bad bet in my opinion. I’d put more money on that than Lewis Hamilton or George Russell. But I think that would be weird right now. To think that Max Verstappen will win again.”

Leclerc ‘will always be better than Sainz’ in some areas

Vasseur’s appointment will be an advantage for Leclerc, according to Peter Windsor, who believes Binotto values ​​Sainz more than Monegasque. However, according to the former leader of the Scuderia, the vice world champion of 2022 will indeed be the strongest.

“I think the relationship between Carlos and Charles was a bit unbalanced when Binotto was there because he was just leaning towards Sainz. He liked Carlos’ style, he listened to Carlos.”

“When Carlos says, ‘This car has low-speed understeer,’ and Charles says, ‘Yes, but we can work on that and we really don’t want to hurt the traction in this case by improving the front.’ will tend.”

“Now I don’t think it’s going to happen. Now I think it’s going to be like, ‘Well, it’s a logical thing,’ and in his mind, even if he never says it, Fred Vasseur will know that Charles Leclerc is a serious racing driver.”

“He knows what he’s doing and will have an advantage over Sainz in high-pressure moments, at the end of Q3 or in conditions that change and change during the race. Charles will always be the best here. Sainz responds in Q2. no pressure.”

“But when the pressure is on or when the car suddenly becomes difficult to drive, Charles Leclerc will come out on top with a slightly wider palette, like Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen. That’s something Frederic will be aware of because he’s a smart guy.”

“I think he’s smart enough to know that if he’s going to win the world championship in 2023, Charles Leclerc is more likely to win it for him.”

“It’s just about letting him relax, getting the best out of the car and the team at all times. Fred will know how to do that and that’s something Mattia probably never did. He probably never thought that and Charles felt it. “

“I would say it was definitely 50-50 between Leclerc and Sainz in terms of mechanical fitness, but in terms of subtleties and nuances and strategic decisions, maybe 51-49 in favor of Charles Leclerc now.”