First reports from Maranello: 'Ferrari is very happy with the new car'

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella thinks his former team Ferrari is very happy with the development of the 2023 car. The Italian therefore thinks Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have a strong start to the season.

Stella is an old friend of Ferrari. The Italian will be seen on the grid next year as McLaren's new team boss, but before being hired by the British team, he worked for Ferrari for 15 years as an engineer for Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso. In 2015, he moved to McLaren along with the Spaniard.

With Andreas Seidl's departure, Stella has now been promoted to team boss of McLaren. Based on stories he has heard, the Formula 1 engineer thinks Ferrari has confidence in the car for 2023. He also expects a lot from Mercedes after the mediocre 2022 season.

First rumours from Maranello

"I expect a big reaction from Mercedes, even though I know that at Ferrari they are very happy with the new car and so they will definitely have a competitive start", Stella says opposite La Gazzetta dello Sport. Earlier, the McLaren team boss revealed that it will be a challenge to beat the top three teams. Stella hopes his team can come back stronger in the second half of the season by making up a second and a half.