Former Mercedes driver David Coulthard backs Ferrari for to win 2023 F1 Constructor's Championship
- Planet Sport writer
- 1 January 2023
Despite Ferrari's 2022 title challenge falling apart before it had even really got going, David Coulthard expects them to be far more competitive this year.
Ferrari is the team with the most history and pedigree in Forumla 1. However, Coulthard is of the opinion that Ferrari faltered in 2022 because they weren't used to being in a position to challenge for honours.
As crazy as that may sound to old-school Ferrari fans, it may not be that far from the truth considering that the last time Ferrari won anything in Formula 1 was back in 2008. It is a completely different team these days, from personnel to the way they do business.
Ferrari's biggest issues last year were reliability and consistency with a mindboggling amount of points thrown away to engine failures, DNFs, driver errors and inexplicable strategy blunders.
"There might be an element of just not being match fit, having not operated at that level [for a while]," Coulthard explained.
"Ferrari are the most famous name in Formula 1, and have been the longest running members so there might be an element of mass fatigue as well.
"I believe in Ferrari - not in the mystique but in the lap time. They've had the qualifying world championship [in 2022], and their car has been exceptional. Charles [Leclerc] was their lead driver for the majority of the year in terms of being able to exploit that performance and I do feel the car has been coming stronger towards the end of the year.
"I believe in the drivers and that, because they've designed that car at that pace, they've got the right talent in the team to iron out the issues they have had. So, with all of that, Ferrari have got to be lined up for the championship in '23.
"Not based on it just being a red car with a prancing horse, but based on what they've got on their hands - a very fast Grand Prix car and two very fast and motivated drivers. So, in 2023, they have to be targeting the world championship and I think they can achieve their goals, if they can iron out the issues that are blatantly obvious to everyone.
"I would like to believe that we are going to have a three-way title battle next year. As strong as Max has been, we are where we are in the closing stages of the [2022] season which are the foundations of next year. So that, to me, feels like we're a lot closer than we were at the beginning of the year."