It is a very difficult time for Ferrari, very difficult indeed. The team set out with the intention of winning the Monte Carlo Grand Prix but returned home with a one-minute gap to Max Verstappen. The Principality operation failed miserably, with Charles Leclerc finishing in sixth place and Carlos Sainz in eighth.
While Ferrari’s rivals brought technical updates, Maranello’s remained under wraps, and this was clearly seen on the streets of Monte Carlo. Aston Martin, Alpine, and Mercedes finished ahead of the red cars, relegating the disappointing SF-23 to the role of the fifth force, as Red Bull’s supremacy remains unscathed even after the sixth race of the 2023 Formula One season.
The attention of the Prancing Horse fans is already focused on the Spanish Grand Prix, where Ferrari will bring an important package of modifications. In Barcelona, the red car must show its true face and demonstrate whether the interventions made will address the undeniable shortcomings of the SF-23, a car that remains difficult to drive and lacks performance.
However, before the showdown in Montmeló, there is another important date for the Racing Department. Today, on May 29, two figures start their service, brought to Maranello from the Red Bull world. Two technicians join the Ferrari Sporting Management, and while they may not be considered top-tier, they are targeted reinforcements who will be valuable in shaping the 2024 Formula 1 car.
One of them will certainly not go unnoticed, standing at over 1.90m tall. We are talking about an American who is a university professor in Maryland. His name is David George, an aerodynamics-focused engineer who has also worked in NASCAR, Indycar, and F1 throughout his career.
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George can be considered a valuable wild card who has brought innovative ideas to the projects he has collaborated on. He played a role in the recovery of Honda after their disastrous return to the world of Grand Prix racing with McLaren. And as mentioned before, his expertise goes beyond power units, encompassing aerodynamics and the mechanical aspects of a race car.
After completing the gardening leave period, the American joins the Sporting Management alongside a former Red Bull aerodynamicist who has decided to bet on the resurgence of Ferrari. They are the first acquisitions made by Fred Vasseur’s management and will integrate into the team led by Enrico Cardile.
And now perhaps one can understand Christian Horner’s irritation, as he managed to block other technicians from leaving for Maranello: it should come as no surprise, then, that Laurent Mekies, chosen by Milton Keynes as the team principal of AlphaTauri, is being kept “on hold” by the Scuderia.
A chess game is underway: some are buying time to prevent engineers from joining before the start of next year’s car project, while others are hindering the restructuring of a team that needs to become more like a Haas copy in terms of technical dependence on Ferrari.
John Elkann has also made a move to try and unlock the situation, and the feeling is that the Prancing Horse is focusing more on next year than the present. No one says it, but the signals are becoming increasingly clear…
