Red Bull Racing Dutch driver Max Verstappen secured his seventh victory of the 2023 Formula One championship last weekend in Spielberg, dispelling any doubts about the superiority of his RB19. The Dutch driver maintains an average lead of 9 points per race weekend over the second-place contender in the standings ahead of the British Grand Prix. Currently, he holds a significant 81-point advantage over his teammate Sergio Perez in the World Drivers’ Championship and looks set to easily secure his third Formula 1 title.
Sergio Perez staged an impressive comeback, helped by the outstanding speed of his Red Bull, claiming the final spot on the podium after surpassing Carlos Sainz, who faced penalties for exceeding track limits. The Ferrari man showcased remarkable speed and, following a strong performance on Saturday, delivered an exceptionally consistent first stint with a full fuel load.
An intriguing alternative could have been to keep the Spaniard on track instead of calling him for an early pit stop like Charles Leclerc, thereby diversifying their strategy options. Carlos Sainz himself openly expressed his desire to explore this option, believing he still possessed a competitive pace and had managed his tires effectively up to that point of the Austrian Grand Prix.
Undoubtedly, the timing of the Virtual Safety Car did not favor the Italian side, and it contributed to a double pit stop that failed to replicate the Maranello team’s performance at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve a few weeks ago. The time lost by the Monegasque also affected Carlos Sainz’s race. Nevertheless, given the series of penalties that pushed Carlos down to sixth place, it is futile to discuss a narrowly missed podium finish in Austria.
Max’s dominance remained unchallenged. The reigning champion once again showcased a race pace that was six-tenths of a second faster than anyone else.
Ferrari chief engineer Diego Ioverno, with a smile on his face at the end of the event, confirmed that the double pit stop was also an attempt to exert further pressure on the team’s main opponents, capitalizing on the Virtual Safety Car period. Both he and Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal, expressed positive assessments of the Maranello team’s consistency and solidity throughout the Spielberg event.
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“Verstappen finally made the pit stop, but he came out just ahead of us. He was about 20 seconds away. At the beginning of the year, we took more than one ride. It means that we have recovered a bit of the gap, and we are on the right track, now there is still one step to take, perhaps smaller but no less complicated,” explained the Ferrari boss, who was largely satisfied with the Maranello team’s work and performance in the Austrian Grand Prix.
Ferrari affirms its growth in performance and consistency, signaling positive results from the new development direction initiated at the Circuit de Catalunya during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. With the introduction of the side elements and initial changes to the underbody, progress is becoming evident. Additionally, updates to the front wing and substantial revisions to the underbody, drawing inspiration from well-known solutions by Red Bull and Aston Martin, have further enhanced the Ferrari single-seater.
The drivers and team principals expressed gratitude towards the hardworking individuals at the factory who made these developments possible. Recognizing the pressure placed on the team, the former Sauber and Renault team principal acknowledged the tremendous effort undertaken, with round-the-clock work, to expedite these updates. The results achieved this weekend in Austria are a reward not only for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz but also for the dedicated individuals behind the scenes in Maranello.
Remarkably, these innovations were introduced approximately three weeks ahead of schedule, as their original debut was planned for the Hungaroring event in Budapest. Extensive work took place in Maranello to ensure that the latest updates were immediately available on both SF-23 cars for Austria.
The the good news doesn’t end there. For the British Grand Prix, the Italian side will unveil further updates that will complete the already reliable package intended for the Hungarian Grand Prix later this month. Following David Sanchez’s exit from Ferrari, Enrico Cardile has assumed the technical responsibility of rectifying the past missteps, under the guidance and leadership of Fred Vasseur. This change has allowed the technical department to accelerate their progress in a more convincing manner.
The Silverstone track represents a crucial venue where Ferrari aims to consolidate its progress and maintain the position as the second strongest team, amidst the resurgence of rivals Aston Martin and Mercedes, who are expected to hit back in the British Grand Prix. Of course, attention must also be paid to the developments of rival teams, as they certainly won’t halt their own update path.
An underestimated novelty lies in the new Pirelli tires. Although Mario Isola himself stated that the modification to the tire casing should not significantly alter track performance or behavior, it remains an additional unknown factor to be introduced next weekend.
According to a rival team, the new front tires may have a slightly sturdier structure, indirectly affecting those cars with limited or less robust front-end characteristics in a positive way, including Scuderia Ferrari and Aston Martin.
It seems no coincidence then that, in response to a question regarding this matter, Frederic Vasseur expressed his hope that “the new tires are a game changer.” Although Ferrari may not match Max Verstappen’s speed, they anticipate making further progress at Silverstone and closing the gap. This includes understanding the package of new features introduced on the SF-23 thus far, as well as incorporating the contributions of new team members.
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