Ferrari expect Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton title fight in 2023 as ex-world champions prepare for car launch

Charles Leclerc says Mercedes will join Red Bull and Ferrari in a title fight this year; On Hamilton: “We must not forget what he’s achieved in the sport and he still has it.”; Watch Mercedes’ car launch live on Sky Sports F1 at 9.15am on Wednesday

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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc says there has been a lot of work on the reliability of the new SF-23 car and believes Lewis Hamilton will be involved in the driver’s championship fight

Charles Leclerc is adamant that Mercedes will fight Red Bull and Ferrari for the Formula 1 title in 2023 and believes Lewis Hamilton can lead their recovery as the legendary driver “still has it”.

Mercedes will become the penultimate team to reveal their car on Wednesday, with the launch live on Sky Sports F1 and our YouTube and digital platforms from 9.15am before a shakedown at Silverstone.

It is a much-anticipated unveiling for a W14 that is set to be much-changed from its underperforming predecessor, with Mercedes hoping to return to contention after falling from F1 domination to third place last year.

Ferrari driver Leclerc, who finished second behind Max Verstappen in 2022, is braced for another team to join the championship fight.

“As much as we are motivated to win, we know how difficult it will be,” Leclerc told Sky Sports News after the launch of Ferrari’s new car, the SF-23, on Tuesday.

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Speaking in Sky F1’s season review, pundit Karun Chandhok says that out of every team next year, Mercedes’ car will look the most different at pre-season testing

“Mercedes will also be there too after having a very strong end to the season last year so it’s going to be a difficult championship.”

Leclerc is also predicting a Hamilton fightback.

After five titles in seven years to make him a seven-time champion, Hamilton endured his worst-ever F1 season last year in sixth after struggling to get to grips with the difficult Mercedes car, and his new young team-mate George Russell.

Leclerc stressed: “Lewis will never be out of the question for championship fight.

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Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz says that the team know what they need to improve on if they want to go one step further and win titles this season

“I’m pretty sure if he has the car he will be there. We must not forget what he’s achieved in the sport and he still has it, we saw that many times last year.

“Lewis will be there, like Red Bull will be too and I hope it’s going to be a great fight.”

Hamilton is aiming for a record eighth championship in 2023.

What to expect from Mercedes launch and how to watch

Mercedes have hinted at big changes for their new car after admitting they got it badly wrong with their 2022 concept after the rules refresh. Crucially, the eight-time world champions figured out the problem just in time to work on this year’s car, which will have a different “DNA”.

“The DNA of the car is going to change, it’s clear,” said team principal Toto Wolff last year.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that the bodywork is going to look very different but certainly what is part of the DNA of the car with the architecture will change for next year.”

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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc drives the new SF-23 car for the first time around their famous Maranello base

It remains to be seen how much Mercedes reveal at their launch, although there are sure to be some noticeable differences from the W13 immediately. A silver livery, meanwhile, is also expected to stay.

You can watch the launch live on Sky Sports F1 at 9.15am, while it will also be live on our app, website, and YouTube.

There is one more launch after Mercedes – that of Alpine on Thursday night – before pre-season testing on February 23-25 and the season-opening Bahrain GP on March 5.