After the disappointing Spanish GP, Ferrari is aware that the problems of the SF-23 are still present, in terms of performance and tire management and that the developments have not worked as hoped. A picture that, however, seems to worry team principal Frederic Vasseur in a limited way.
It was a difficult Spanish GP last weekend for Ferrari. A weekend in which the Italian team arrived with expectations and confidence that they could do well, at least returning to playing the role of second force in the field behind Red Bull. These expectations stem from the developments introduced on the SF-23 which, based on the data, should have allowed a leap forward in terms of performance and tyre management, the weak point of the 2023 project.
They were expectations that were disregarded given that the Maranello-based team did not shine and the usual tyre management problems arose in the race (with both cars and all compounds). A difficult race, finished in fifth position with Sainz and eleventh with Leclerc. Sainz’s gap to the Red Bull of Verstappen was over 40 seconds, as well as an important gap also collected by a Mercedes capable of performing well and maximising the potential of the W14 ‘evo’.
Frederic Vasseur said in his standard written media session after the race that he was certain (despite the problematic weekend) that there was still a step forward.
“With the updates we’ve taken a step forward. […] In Barcelona we managed to put Sainz on the front row, it’s a step forward. In the race we can say we took a step ahead of Aston Martin. But it’s not enough.”
It was still an insufficient step forward, especially in the race, to compete for important results, not so much with Red Bull (almost impregnable) but with Mercedes, a declared competitor for this 2023.
“We still have a gap with Mercedes, from qualifying to the race. We have to focus our attention there if we want to get back to doing good races and scoring points. As soon as we manage to unblock the situation, we will be able to fight with them throughout the race. With the Red Bull is another story, especially with Max. He’s much faster both in qualifying and in the race.”
Mercedes, like Ferrari, is wasting no time developing the car. In Brackley, however, they are proving capable of extracting the maximum value from the vehicle and from the developments. An area where, according to the French team boss, Ferrari will have to work, especially in race configuration.
“Mercedes is not sleeping. They have brought great upgrades. What we can see is that what we have brought has paid off. If we make a comparison between Miami, before the Mercedes developments, and today, I think we have taken a step forward but so did Mercedes. We’re faster in qualifying but inconsistent in the race. Despite the steps forward, we lack consistency.”
Despite the Spanish flop, the development work has satisfied the technicians of Ferrari, as well as Vasseur, who believes the step forward made by the SF-23 cannot be underestimated.
“We’re starting to have a clear picture of the car, we know where we’re performing. I think it’s not a question related to the track or the asphalt.”
Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari
