Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari Media
After the signs of recovery shown in Baku, Ferrari wants to continue the development of the SF-23. Development which, in particular, will have to focus on tyre management and on the efficiency of the car with DRS open.
It is precisely in this area that some engineers who have just arrived from Red Bull are at work.
After the good start to the weekend, with Charles Leclerc taking pole, Sunday in Baku proved to be quite complex for Ferrari. On the one hand, the Scuderia received confirmation of the good work done on the set-up of the SF-23, such as to bring it back ahead of Mercedes and Aston Martin. On the contrary, in the race the Reds still had the tyre management problems they had in the first GPs: a sign that there is still work to be done.
From Azerbaijan, in fact, the Scuderia acquires the awareness that the work on the SF-23 was enough to beat Red Bull, at least in qualifying, while in race conditions there is still ground to make up. In detail, there are two areas where Ferrari is lacking compared to Adrian Newey’s car: tyre management (of any compound, especially with full tanks) and the efficiency of the single-seater with DRS open, an area where Pérez and Verstappen have a real extra weapon.
And it is precisely on this last area that the Cavallino technicians have been working on in recent months (having however taken steps forward compared to 2022). Technicians who, according to what was reported by the Italian newspaper ‘Motorsport.com’, can already count on the experience and help of some colleagues who arrived in Maranello directly from Red Bull (about 10 grafts, between those already present and those arriving in the next months).
“[…] Figures to strengthen Maranello’s technical staff. It will not be a marginal signing campaign, Vasseur is targeting more than ten technicians, with two senior figures from Red Bull.”
Among the engineers arriving from England, there also seems to be Enrico Balbo (former aerodynamics chief at Red Bull) who will soon be operating in Italy with a leading role in the organization of the Cavallino.
In addition to this ‘senior’ figure, on whom discussions are underway regarding the gardening period that he will have to observe, another Red Bull technician would have agreed to move to Red and would already be at work in Italy.
A technician (name not yet known), whose know-how would be really valuable for the Scuderia given that he would be, as mentioned, one of the creators of the formidable DRS of the RB19.
“For the second engineer […] he is one of the technicians who played a key role in setting up the DRS, which is one of Red Bull’s main weapons. The man is already in Maranello and would be contributing to the development of the SF-23: so the Reparto Corse are confident of closing the maximum speed gap with Red Bull.”
