F1, Ferrari: post-Bahrain GP general meeting in Maranello

F1, Ferrari: post-Bahrain GP general meeting in Maranello. Post-Bahrain GP general meeting in Maranello.

Unexpected start
Scuderia Ferrari started the 2023 Formula One season at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir without a single driver on the podium and with the heavy burden of once again facing reliability problems that the SF-23 seems to have inherited from its predecessor. Charles Leclerc’s retirement due to problems with the power unit, which according to the latest statements released by Marc Gené should concern a problem with the internal combustion unit rather than the electrical part, combined with disappointing performances – especially regarding tire wear – made Ferrari the third force on the Sakhir track, behind even the surprising Aston Martin.

Furthermore, the first internal changes in terms of hierarchies are starting to materialize, the result of the handover that took place in the off-season between Mattia Binotto and Frederic Vasseur in the role of team principal. The first to have paid the price seems to be David Sanchez, operational manager of the aerodynamics sector. David Sanchez will be leaving the Italian side, as confirmed by the media earlier today.

Fred Vasseur, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in Maranello
Just to respond to this difficult moment in a united and cohesive way, in an attempt to send a clear message to the opponents and also to the fans of the Maranello team, the entire staff of Scuderia Ferrari met in Maranello today. The official Twitter account of Ferrari has in fact published a series of shots that show team principal Frederic Vasseur, race director Laurent Mekies and the two drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, in a meeting with all the members of the Racing Division. An opportunity that Ferrari itself described as “useful for discussing our weekend, the challenges we faced and the future that awaits us”.

The message that Maranello wants to convey to the outside world is quite clear: unity of purpose and conviction of being able to improve in the next rounds, after the season certainly did not start as expected. In the hope that, starting from Saudi Arabia, at least the reliability problems will be definitively resolved.