Charles Leclerc concerned for Ferrari after Red Bull's Max Verstappen claims 'step forward' ahead of new season
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 25/02/2023 at 15:16 GMT
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was unable to catch Max Verstappen last season despite a strong start to the 2022 campaign, and he is again concerned that Red Bull will be too strong to overhaul in the coming calendar. World champion Verstappen acknowledged that testing has gone well for his team and believes his setup have improved upon last year's car.
Verstappen: 'We have achieved is something I never could imagine in my life'
Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari could fall further behind Red Bull, with their current Formula One champion Max Verstappen believing they have improved ahead of the new campaign.
Teams are back at the track this weekend as they start testing for the coming season, and Verstappen boasts back-to-back world championships.
Red Bull were pushed hard for some of the season by Ferrari, and Mercedes had their moments after a difficult start, but many expect that the status quo will continue and Christian Horner’s team will again dominate.
Verstappen has often been quickest in Bahrain, and Leclerc is concerned.
"I feel we've got some work to do," Leclerc said. "Red Bull seems to be very strong in these three days."
The Italians have come into a new season with a fundamentally redesigned vehicle in the hopes of adding straight-line speed.
"This morning was a little bit better, but still some work to do," the Monegasque continued.
"It is a different car, you need to drive it a little bit differently. I've been trying a lot of different driving styles and I seemed to find my way this morning, finally."
Verstappen, however, is bullish once more.
"It's been very good," he stated. "I think the car is working really well, going through all the things we wanted to try and it's very interesting what we have been trying.
"Very positive days for me. I'm enjoying driving the car.
"There are quite a few differences compared to last year... overall it's definitely an improvement."
Speaking to Sky Sports, he continued: "It seems to work very nicely compared to last year so the team have done a very good job
"You lose a bit of performance because of the little new rules, but overall the car took a step forward."
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement