After a start to the season in which Ferrari was able to battle toe-to-toe with Red Bull, and even seemed to be the big favorites for a season that had hints that it could be worth remembering, Max Verstappen and the Austrians ended up sweeping without giving any option to its most direct rivals.
At one point in the campaign, the difference between Charles Leclerc and the Dutch driver was 46 points in favor of the Monegasque, but the dynamics changed in such a way that Verstappen ended up winning the Formula 1 world championship in 2022 with four races to go. the end.
A clear example of this is Red Bull’s winning streak since the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, since then, the energy drinks have won eight victories in eight races, seven of which have gone to the Two-time world champion and only one, the Singapore Grand Prix, was achieved by his teammate, Sergio Pérez.
Seeing that dynamic and comparing it with the form of its main rival this year, Ferrari, everything seems to indicate that Red Bull’s dominance could be repeated in the coming years, which could perhaps allow them to try to emulate the absolute dominance of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. in the first seasons of the hybrid era.
However, Leclerc, the Ferrari driver who was closest to Verstappen at the beginning of 2022, assures that he will do everything possible so that this does not happen: “I hope not. I will do everything possible to make sure that that does not happen. , and the team is also working hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The most positive thing for the Monegasque driver and the Italian team is that they have a clear idea of where they need to improve to hunt down the driver and the team that at the moment seem unattainable.
“For us it is clear where we need to improve , we are good in qualifying, one lap, but we don’t know how to manage the tires during the races.”
“We have been working on it, for a long time, and we hope that the results will be visible from the beginning of the next season “, added #16.
Beyond that, Leclerc pointed to another series of factors, easier to solve, that also affected the team’s competitiveness throughout 2022 and that have prevented them from arriving with mathematical options in either of the two championships at the end of the season. present course.
“Looking at the season, the setback was not just tire management , we made strategic mistakes, there were communication problems, all this is part of the fact that we are not at the top now or fighting for it.
“In the last few races we have tried to prepare as well as possible to be able to fight with Max [Verstappen] and Red Bull, and at this moment I am confident that we can beat them, because we are working hard and I am sure that we are going in the right direction , “he concluded. the Ferrari driver.
