As the 2023 season approaches, Ferrari is focused on ending its title drought, which has been in place since 2007.
To do so, first of all, they have changed team principal. In place of Mattia Binotto, Fred Vasseur has taken the reins. He will work closely with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc as drivers. As he has done well at Alfa Romeo, there are high hopes at the Scuderia that he will lead the team back to the top of Formula One.
As a result, they need to improve a number of areas in order to overcome Red Bull’s overwhelming dominance. Their engine needs to be reliable, and their race strategy needs to be more confident as well. And, of course, they need reassurance within the team, too.
There is a lot of pressure within Ferrari, which sometimes results in blunders. But if they find a way to develop the car during the season, then they may finally achieve the fans’ dreams.
Simulations provide hope
Ferrari 2023 is not well known, but from what has been seen on the test bench, it invites optimism. In particular, it looks like they have made a substantial gain in the power unit. Some have even claimed it would add 30 horsepower, but other more conservative reports have halved that figure.
This is especially exciting considering that the Scuderia was already able to show last year that it was at the same level or even higher than Red Bull and Mercedes.
Power and reliability are both increased
Due to the engine failures of the Maranello team, Ferrari engineers had to reduce its power several times. As a result, the key to dethroning Red Bull may be the ability to match the aerodynamic strength of the car that Max Verstappen drives so well with a more powerful (and reliable) engine.
Sundays are improving
Leclerc took nine poles in 2022, while Sainz added three, while Max Verstappen scored seven and Checo Perez just one.
On race days, the Dutchman won 15 races and the Mexican won two, making 17 victories out of 22 possible for Milton Keynes. Meanwhile, the Scuderia won four races.
It doesn’t seem like we’ve fallen too far behind Red Bull, says Carlos Sainz
Analytical as always, Sainz pointed out that they are not far behind the Milton Keynes team. The key is to step forward in several areas.
We had opportunities in 2022. Red Bull has been dominant, but they haven’t been clearly ahead either on pure qualifying pace or on long runs during the race,” Sainz said.
Our performance has not been far behind, nor has our development of the car been far behind. We are working on strategy, race execution, and tire management for next year.
But if you look at performance, we are not far behind. All we need to do is add a little more power and downforce, and we will be at the same level or faster.”
