"Ferrari will be competitive for 2023," hopes former F1 driver Mario Andretti

Former F1 world champion Mario Andretti reckons Ferrari will be competitive next season.

The Italian team had a strong package this season and won multiple races and secured pole positions regularly. However, there were deficiencies in terms of the power unit and strategic unit that made in-race decisions. There were far too many errors, which eventually cost erstwhile team principal Mattia Binotto his position.

When asked if there would be any repercussions of removing Binotto, Andretti said that it could have an impact. However, he feels Ferrari should be competitive next season, saying on the Twitch channel of SoyMotor.com:

“I don’t think they will come out of it badly, with Binotto’s departure. The human part is very important, but the equipment is more important and the equipment is there, there is no doubt about it. In terms of minimising some of the mistakes they made, I think they have admitted that."

He continued:

"From the drivers’ point of view, between Carlos and Charles, they will be discussing some things that they won’t be able to repeat. It’s not unusual for this to happen to a team. Obviously things could be better, but everybody can pull themselves together and fix the problems. Sometimes you learn from mistakes, and I have a lot of faith that Ferrari will be competitive for 2023.”

Ferrari (554) finished second in the constructor championship, finishing a whopping 205 points behind Red Bull.

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Leclerc and Sainz a great pairing for Ferrari - Andretti

Andretti is optimistic about the team's chances in 2023. He feels that in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, the team has a strong driving pair. He said:

“I think they have a competitive package; they proved that in 2022. They’re not going to change too many things technically for next year, beyond some updates, so I think Ferrari is going to be there. … and I hope so, as it’s good for F1."

Andretti continued:

"There are going to be some changes, but the driver pairing remains the same, and that’s good. I think it’s a great pairing. Leclerc and Sainz complement each other well together, and each is capable of winning, we have seen that already. Ferrari could be very strong in 2023 and be a real contender for the championship.”

The Italian team will hope to build on the momentum in 2022 and provide a more stern challenge to Red Bull next season.