The 2023 Formula 1 season already brings with it high expectations. New young drivers, rivalries that are rekindled at the sound of the engines, teams that have partially revolutionized their workforce and a technical battle that is getting more and more heated. What will be the factors that will make the difference in the next season and what are the mistakes not to be repeated?
Marco Palomba from news.yawclub.com talked about the prospects and the expectations for 2023 with Giuliano Duchessa, journalist, analyst, F1 expert and co-founder of Formu1a.uno, as well as one of the most accredited and well-informed sources when it comes to Scuderia Ferrari and everything that surrounds the Maranello team. Especially when it comes to rumours and news, such as the one linked to the presentation of the new Scuderia Ferrari challenger for the 2023 F1 campaign, Giuliano Duchessa is always in the front row.
Here is his full interview for news.yawclub.com:
Giuliano, before going into the hottest topics of the moment, I ask you: we are close to the end of the year. How do you rate 2022 for Formula 1?
Giuliano Duchessa: “It was a very positive year in terms of the audience and the public, including for the very young one. The interest of the new generation has increased, an aspect that was not previously taken into consideration. Without a doubt, Netflix has facilitated everything, as well as the super battle for the championship between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in 2021. These are all aspects that created the perfect scenario for the introduction of the new rules and regulations which have brought about slightly more limited cars on the technical side but still able to put on a show. It was a shift towards a more general audience. However, next year there will be other changes regarding the height of the cars: the edge of the floor will be slightly higher and the pad must be higher than the reference point with the goal of no longer having any more bouncing problems. This is the direction taken by the sport, just look at 2026 with the new engines without MGU-H. In fact, we will try to get a little closer to the road hybrid cars, i.e. 50% electric.”
Ferrari: Mattia Binotto being replaced by Frederic Vasseur
Let’s move to the Ferrari topic: how do you evaluate Binotto’s departure?
Giuliano Duchessa: “We are talking about a Binotto who resigned, although I don’t know if just wanted to react to tge news of Fred Vasseur being appointed as Ferrari team principal. In that week, which was marked by the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there was undoubtedly a lot of pressure, but everything was already decided. I would have preferred to continue with Mattia Binotto: we are talking about a car and a team entirely of his own that he was trying to model. Of course, when we talk about Ferrari we must always consider a large company, very difficult to change in a short time. However, if you do it every three or four years, you have too much difficulty finding continuity”.
Let’s talk about the results on track and the work done as team principal. How do you rate it?
Giuliano Duchessa: “The season started in the best way possible. We expected a competitive car, this is obvious, just as we were aware of the reliability problems, which, however, were unexpectedly bigger than one might have thought. All this has done nothing but put even more pressure on a team like Ferrari. Mistakes lead to more errors, as does pressure. We are talking about a team that is not like the rest, for better or for worse. This is why one must have the patience to correct the mistakes without distorting, and I hope that Vasseur does so; I think that’s the smartest thing.”
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Is Fred Vasseur the right man for Ferrari?
Giuliano Duchessa: “I don’t have the knowledge to tell whether or not he’s the right person. I met Binotto and I can tell you that he is a very high-profile technician, even if when he becomes team principal we change a couple of things. An example is what concerns the political aspect in which he certainly could have done better while I believe that Fred Vasseur will know how to have the right approach in these situations. With him, however, things change: Mattia Binotto acted as a lightning rod in many situations, which was good from a certain point of view. This year, however, I think they will all have to be a little more responsible”.
FIA’s year
Giuliano, let’s move on to the FIA topic: what do you think about the management of the Red Bull-budget cap case? And was it right to introduce the technical directive during the ongoing season?
Giuliano Duchessa: “As for the budget cap, being a financial rule I believe that when you commit an irregularity there must be a penalty. Perhaps, being the first year, there has been a little too much talk, but this derives from how the regulations are made. It is a somewhat difficult question to answer, but I think we must be very rigid. The directive is a particular matter: safety comes into play here and the Federation must do everything possible to avoid problems, even if something should happen, the FIA is primarily responsible. However, it is clear that the directive has conditioned the performance on the track: the cars have become much slower when in reality the issue of bouncing was no longer so big.”
Speaking of Red Bull, where in your opinion did Max Verstappen improve and how can being a two-time world champion make a difference?
Giuliano Duchessa: “There has been a change. He has practically made no mistakes and what I want to point out is that I particularly liked him after the two retirements at the beginning of the season. With a strong Charles Leclerc, he was able to maintain the right calm that led him to the title. He is an extremely aggressive driver from a competitive point of view who reminds me a lot of Michael Schumacher on track. Then it’s normal: the more experience you have, the more unstoppable you become.”
Focus 2023
Looking at the line ups for 2023, who do you pay particular attention to?
Giuliano Duchessa: “For me, on paper, Hamilton and Russell are the strongest line-up. In Ferrari there is Charles Leclerc with an excellent Carlos Sainz that he was able to recover during the season. But I say: if you ask me who can win the world championship, in Ferrari I think Charles Leclerc, in Red Bull Max Verstappen… while in Mercedes I think both drivers can do it”.
Still speaking of regulation, the number of Sprints for next year has increased to six. Does Giuliano like this format?
Giuliano Duchessa: “I do not like it. Primarily because the drivers have to be very cautious and then also because of the parc ferme which starts on Friday. The Sprint is a show event that serves to have an extra race. I am more of the idea of making two qualifying sessions, as it used to be, and finding a way to make Friday more interesting from an audience point of view, above all by removing the parc fermé rules. It should be eliminated because if it’s dry on Friday and it’s raining on Sunday, I can’t change anything. Talking to the insiders, considering that in 2023 there will be six Sprint events, they told me that for them it’s a very difficult and unpleasant thing”.
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