The Formula One 2023 season is just on the door. All the major teams have launched their car with a secret reveal in their own unique style. First, Red Bull unveiled the RB19 in NYC with their future partner name, Ford, breaking the alignment with Honda. Then the most loved team, Ferrari, launched the grand event in Maranello, revealing the brand new SF-23 in front of fans live.
The Scuderia drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz made a grand gesture by driving the 2023 Ferrari car live in front of the fans, assuring them to remain confident for the championship victory this year. Followed by Ferrari, there came the Silver Arrows turn, who just shocked everyone with their changed livery. The black Livery W14 Mercedes 2023 Formula One car describes the strong comeback in black, the same color that brought the 7th title to Hamilton.
Meanwhile, these launch events gave us many worth discussing topics. The little silver line disputes between the drivers they have developed with their statements are really something important for fans. During the Red Bull car revealing event on February 4, when Max Verstappen was asked about the rivals and contenders for the 2023 Formula One championship, he named Mercedes with more focus rather than Ferrari. Instead of finding Ferrari as the toughest challenge to beat this year, Verstappen took Mercedes’s side.
When Formula Passion asked the reigning world champion about Mercedes, he said, “It is difficult to define their perspectives.” Max believed that by the end of the 2022 season, the Silver Arrows would have shown uneven outcomes. “Sometimes solving the problems, sometimes not” Mercedes will surely be the main rival in 2023, said Max Verstappen. He brings the past achievements of Mercedes in order to make them the perfect rival this upcoming season.
“Verstappen Thinks Mercedes Will Be Their Main Rival, Not Ferrari?
Meanwhile, these statements of Max Verstappen probably got straight to Carlos Sainz’s heart, and he took it kind of personally. He noticed it and tried to give a Bold reply during the Ferrari’s launch in Maranello. When Sky Sports asked Sainz about being challenging, he brought up Verstappen’s claim that Mercedes would be Red Bull’s main rival. The Spanish driver said, “Verstappen believed he would fight Mercedes? Better, so we can give him a nice surprise.” Being optimistic with the brand new bloody shining red SF-23, Carlos Sainz taunted Verstappen and said, “I guess Verstappen was also among the audience dressed in red, peeking.”
In addition, Carlos Sainz defined, “It may be Verstappen’s way of putting pressure, which is basically normal.” However, in the end, only the track and the stopwatch counts in Formula One. Sainz believes that, indeed, Red Bull and Mercedes have brought the most developments in their car; for this, we respect them, and we are humble too. But, surely, there will be an opportunity when the Scuderia team focuses on taking those two-three steps forward in terms of improvements.