Kravitz says Ferrari are pinning all their title hopes on one thing
Kravitz says Ferrari are pinning all their title hopes on one thing
Ferrari's hopes of mounting a serious F1 title challenge in 2023 all come down to one thing according to Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz.
Excitement is high at Maranello with positive vibes coming from the Italian team during the winter, followed by the warm glow of a sensational launch of the SF-23 last week.
The red car clearly had blistering speed over one lap last season with Charles Leclerc claiming nine poles. Converting that into wins on Sundays was a major issue though as reliability issues and flawed strategy calls cost them dear.
Eventually Ferrari finished 205 points adrift of Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship while Leclerc ended the year 146 behind Max Verstappen in the Drivers' standings. So have they done enough over the winter to be a realistic challenger to Red Bull?
What are Ferrari pinning their 2023 hopes on?
Kravitz believes they can be a threat, but also raises a concern that their bid for success might be too heavily focused on just one thing.
Speaking to colleague Craig Slater, he said: "I think they are relying on their perfection of the power unit from last year, and pinning their hopes on that.
"Now that’s fine as long as their testing work over the winter on the dyno actually proves that they’ve got on top of that (reliability issues in 2022). But if they haven’t, they haven’t got the car or anything particularly outrageous or adventurous to rely on back there.
"I’ve got high hopes for Ferrari, I think they can be up there and sustaining a championship challenge to Red Bull all season long.
"I’d like to think it’s going to be very tight, it’s going to go down to the last race between what eventually will be Charles Leclerc potentially and Max Verstappen. I don’t think it will, but something interesting I think is that we do have the new boss Fred Vasseur."
Kravitz likes what he has seen so far from Vasseur, with one moment in particular standing out in comparison with the Frenchman's predecessor Mattia Binotto. And meriting comparison to the last great Ferrari team principal.
"I think he is in the Jean Todt mould because he’s not coming out with any pronouncements, any kind of media lines that you can really of grab hold of.
"But one thing he did say about whether they have a number one driver or not, he said Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, they have equal equipment and they will have equal chance to go for the championship until which time I decide, said Vasseur, it’s in Ferrari’s best interest to favour one person for the championship, and then I will make that call.
"I thought that was more than Mattia Binotto has ever said about focusing on one driver for the championship."
The SF-23 faces its first acid test in Bahrain on Thursday when the three days of pre-season testing get under way.
READ MORE: Christian Horner has chilling Newey message for Red Bull rivals
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Horner outlines Ricciardo target to save F1 dream as major Newey announcement made - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Mercedes reveal shock RED livery to celebrate historic milestone
- Yesterday 22:57
Ricciardo makes five-race admission in bid to survive F1 axe
- Yesterday 21:57
Red Bull is 'burning' after Horner and Marko display
- Yesterday 20:57
Red Bull announce strong statement over Newey departure claims
- Yesterday 19:57
Verstappen 'to meet Mercedes over SHOCK 2025 move as Red Bull exit clause revealed'
- Yesterday 18:57
Related news
Ferrari show off new-look drivers following HUGE announcement
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
F1 giants announce name change with IMMEDIATE effect
Ferrari announce HUGE F1 change to iconic red livery
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860