Ex-Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean believes that Ferrari will be “in the mix” at the front of the field next year following a disappointing 2022 campaign.
The Italian squad commenced the year in strong fashion, winning two of the opening three races.
However its form slipped away soon after, with on-track errors, strategy blunders and reliability woes hampering its season.
“After the first three races you’d be crazy not to think that Ferrari is going to be World Champion with Charles Leclerc,” Grosjean told the Motorsport Magazine podcast.
“And here we go, they almost did finish second. So I guess that’s where the disappointment comes from for Charles.
“If George [Russell] finished second in the Championship, it would have meant something but when you actually lead the Championship by, what was it, 45 or 65 points over Max [Verstappen] and you finish behind, it hurts.”
Red Bull dominated en route to a double championship – however Grosjean, who has almost 180 grand prix starts to his name, believes that Ferrari will return to form next year.
“I think Ferrari is going to be strong next year,” Grosjean added. “I think they definitely had a very fast car in qualifying.
“Charles has been doing a great job, he made a few mistakes, but it’s always when you try to catch up that you make mistakes.
“If you’re at the front and things are very smooth, it’s kind of easier than when you’re trying to catch up because there were a few things that put you on the backfoot.
“So I’m very impressed with Charles and I think Ferrari’s going to learn from this year and I think they will be in the mix next year.”
Ferrari has made a major managerial change for the 2023 campaign, with Mattia Binotto stepping down as team boss.
He has been replaced by Frederic Vasseur, who has headed the Alfa Romeo F1 team for the last several seasons.
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