Charles Leclerc accepts Red Bull are likely to start the 2023 season stronger than Ferrari but is confident the Italian team can mount a comeback; Watch Bahrain GP live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend, starting with practice from 11am on Friday
Thursday 2 March 2023 17:19, UK
Charles Leclerc says he is "confident" Ferrari can overcome an expected early-season advantage for Red Bull to enable him to win a maiden Formula 1 drivers' title in 2023.
Leclerc recorded a career-best second placed finish to Max Verstappen last year, but was out of contention long before the end of the season as a combination of technical, strategic, and driver errors cost the Italian team, whose last constructors' crown came in 2008, a year after Kimi Raikkonen claimed their most recent drivers' title.
Red Bull laid down an ominous marker at pre-season testing in Bahrain last week ahead of this weekend's opening Grand Prix at the same circuit, live on Sky Sports F1, while mystery remained around Ferrari's competitiveness, partly due to their decision to run an alternative testing programme.
"From what I can see, it seems Red Bull is a bit ahead," Leclerc told Sky Sports F1. "But it's a long season, our goal is still to win the championship.
"I am confident. We have great guys in Maranello, I think we have shown it with the big step forward from 2021 to 2022. There were too many mistakes in 2022, we know that, but we've been very honest with ourselves in order to get better for this season.
"The target is still [to win the title]. Even if we are starting a bit on the back foot compared to them in terms of performance, I'm sure we can come back."
There has been speculation that Red Bull could be up to half a second faster a lap faster than their rivals in Bahrain, but Leclerc, who appears buoyed by the arrival of new team principal Frederic Vasseur over the winter, isn't ready to accept that figure.
"We didn't show everything, but Red Bull didn't either, nobody showed everything," Leclerc added. "We will only see in Qualifying. It's very difficult to know exactly how we are, but the global picture just tells me we are maybe a bit behind.
"On half a second, it's still too early to say. Having said that, I also believe fully in my team and in the upgrades that we are bringing. We have a view of what we are bringing in the next few months and it looks positive. By focusing on ourselves I'm sure we'll do a great job."
A part of the reason there are such high expectations around Red Bull's performance in Bahrain is the confidence emanating from their garage, notably from Verstappen.
The 25-year-old has generally been quick to let his team know when he's unhappy with something on the car, as was often the case in the early stages of last season, but has been almost exclusively positive as he prepares to go for a third successive title.
Asked where the RB19 has improved on its predecessor, Verstappen said: "Everywhere, that's the aim. You always try to improve it. It feels nice, well balanced of course.
"Every team lost a bit of performance with the (raising of the) floor. But you always try to gain that back in a way, so you have to find a bit of a new balance with the car, but it's been good.
"(We are) 100 per cent in a better place than last year. Our car was a bit fat last year, so naturally it's in a much better window.
"What you have learnt last year gives you a much better understanding of the car. But that doesn't mean we are satisfied - we are never satisfied, we are always want to do better, and we want to put improvements on the car, which we will do."
Verstappen provided a telling response when asked where Red Bull's biggest challenge was likely to come from.
"The teams close to us, but also I think at the end of the day, from ourselves," he said.
"Because we have to stay on top of things and we can't afford to make too many mistakes. We're not robots, everyone makes mistakes but you try to minimise them."
Friday
7.50am: F3 Practice
9am: F2 Practice
11am: Bahrain GP Practice One (session starts 11.30am)
1pm: F3 Qualifying
2.45pm: Bahrain GP Practice Two (session starts 3pm)
4.25pm: F2 Qualifying
5pm: The F1 Show: Bahrain
Saturday
9.10am: F3 Sprint Race
11.15am: Bahrain GP Practice Three (session starts 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint Race
2.10pm: Bahrain GP Qualifying Build-up
3pm: BAHRAIN GP QUALIFYING
4.30pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook
Sunday
8.45am: F3 Feature Race
10.15am: F2 Feature Race
1.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday Bahrain GP Build-up
3pm: THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered flag: Bahrain GP Reaction
Formula 1 is back! Watch the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. The track action starts on Friday while Sunday's race begins at 3pm. Get Sky Sports
