Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc thinks Lewis Hamilton will make a comeback in the 2023 season. Mercedes had a good run towards the end of the 2022 season, although Hamilton left the last race without a victory to his name. The Monegask thinks that the seven-time world champion should never be excluded from the title fight and he suspects strong opposition from him and Red Bull Racing.
On February 14, the team from Maranello unveiled its new car in a unique way. The SF-23 went straight onto the Fiorano circuit. At the presentation, Ferrari made no bones about it, because the title is the goal for the upcoming season. The Ferrari driver expects strong competition from Hamilton, among other things. “As much as we are motivated to win, we know how difficult it will be,” Leclerc kicked off Sky Sports during the launch of the new car. Mercedes will also be there after a very strong end to the season last year, so it will be a difficult championship.
In 2022, it briefly looked like Mercedes would finish the season without a win, but George Russell managed to put a stop to that. He won the Brazilian Grand Prix, but for the first time in fifteen years his team-mate has not managed to win a single season. That is why Leclerc predicts a comeback from Hamilton. “Lewis (Hamilton, ed.) Will never be excluded from the battle for the championship,” says the 25-year-old, who is already wary of a fight with the Mercedes driver. It is expected that the entire field, especially the top three teams, will move closer together.
“Lewis will be there, just like Red Bull”
Mercedes and Ferrari were fighting each other more towards the final phase of the 2022 season. The Scuderia eventually had to be careful that Mercedes did not get the upper hand, otherwise the Italian team could say goodbye to its P2 in the championship. “I’m pretty sure if he’s got the car, he’ll be there. We must not forget what he has achieved in the sport and he still has, we saw that many times last year,” Leclerc emphasizes about the seven-time world champion. Lewis will be there, as will Red Bull. I hope it will be a great fight’, concludes the Ferrari driver, who therefore seems to like a fight with three teams for the title.
