莱克勒克：梅赛德斯“肯定”将在2023年重新加入争冠大战

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Mercedes saw its streak of eight consecutive constructors’ championship victories come to an end this year as it struggled to get to grips with the new technical regulations.

The team was blighted by a porpoising issue through pre-season testing before deeper problems with the W13 car emerged in the early part of the season, leaving it well behind Ferrari and Red Bull in the battle at the front.

But Mercedes managed to develop the car in a direction that allowed it to remedy many of the problems and regain performance, allowing it to win the penultimate race of the year in Brazil.

Its recovery has left Ferrari driver Leclerc confident Mercedes will be back in the thick of the fight at the head of the pack next year, setting up a possible three-team fight along with Red Bull.

"I do believe that Mercedes will be in the fight,” said Leclerc, who scored three wins this year for Ferrari. “Another team? I haven't seen signs yet maybe to believe that another team will join the top three.

“But Mercedes will definitely be there next year with a very strong car. We've seen how much they've improved from the first race to the last race.

“I think they understood what they did wrong, and this is normally the sign that it will go better.

“So hopefully it will be a three-team fight next year.”

由于在适应全新技术规则时遭遇了“水土不服”，梅赛德斯连续八次夺得车队总冠军的纪录在本赛季嘎然而止。

从季前测试开始，车队便饱受海豚跳问题的困扰。在赛季初，W13赛车又出现了更深层次的问题，使它在顶尖队伍的战斗中远远落后于法拉利和红牛。

但梅赛德斯设法朝着正确的方向不断开发赛车，并将其存在的问题逐一击破。重拾表现后的德国车队也因此在全年倒数第二站的巴西大奖赛中成功重返领奖台最高处。

梅赛德斯的复苏也让法拉利车手莱克勒克相信，其将在明年的比赛中重返一线的巅峰之战，并极有可能与法拉利、红牛再创三强争霸的局面。

“我相信梅赛德斯将会重新加入战斗，”今年为法拉利赢得三场胜利的莱克勒克表示。“其他车队？我还没有看到其他车队可能会加入前三的迹象。“

“但梅赛德斯明年肯定会以一辆非常强劲的赛车出现在那里。我们已经看到了他们从第一场比赛到最后一场比赛的进步。我认为他们明白自己做错了什么，这通常是情况会好转的迹象。所以希望明年将是三支车队的竞争。”