The biggest disappointment of the first races in the 2023 Formula 1 championship is the Ferrari SF-23 single-seater, which was announced as the fastest F1 car ever produced by the Maranello team, statements which were made at of official presentation by chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna. It is useless to sugarcoat things too much: finding truly positive aspects at the moment is very difficult.
In particular, in the third stage of the season, which took place in the splendid Australian setting of Melbourne, the few certainties of the previous races disappeared: the performance in qualifying and the solid driving of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Mind you… even without the mistakes made by Charles and Carlos, the Italian side would have had no chance to fight for victory.
However, Carlos’ peremptory comeback in the middle of the race is indicative of a potential that is probably equal to that of Mercedes and Aston Martin. This if, unlike yesterday, performance is maximized based on results. Which unfortunately does not happen.
The sensation describes a certain general feeling of discomfort linked to the drivers who are unable to digest the 2023 performance downgrade, returning to manage the weekends in a “conservative” mode as was done in 2021. The risky maneuvers of the Ferrari drivers reveal a clear frustration in having to fight for midfield positions. A scenario that is in clear opposition with the expectations ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Since the pre-season testing session at the Bahrain International Circuit, the superiority of Red Bull and Aston Martin has been evident. The performance deficit of the SF-23 should have suggested an efficient management of the technical material available. The long pause due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, in this respect, will allow the definition and deliberation of the first corrective measures on a single-seater that will not be revolutionized in terms of basic concepts.
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Obviously the feeling that animates Frederic Vasseur is also shrouded in frustration. A disappointment for the unfortunate dynamics of the race which, according to the opinion of the French manager, greatly penalized the overall result of the Maranello team. Comparing yesterday’s close encounters between Ferrari and Aston Martin frankly seems like an unnecessary stretch.
On both occasions, in fact, the Ferrari drivers came into contact with the rear of the AMR23 cars. Quite optimistic maneuvers which, although both could be seen as “race incidents”, underline an attitude caused by too much enthusiasm due to the need to take advantage of every little opportunity, given the lack of performance that does not allow the SF-23 to secure good results regardless of the risks taken by the drivers.
However, while in the case of Charles it was the Monegasque champion who had the worst outcome, the contact between Carlos and Fernando Alonso caused more damage to the Aston Martin man, subsequently neutralized by the chaotic management of the final stages of the race by a very questionable race direction.
Ferrari always sees the glass too full
The analysis of the French team principal continues to be devoted to an optimism that does not find truthful evidence, both in terms of performance and results. Claiming that you are not “too far from the top” is a really daring communication strategy. If for Fred Vasseur Red Bull is really part of the same championship in which the single-seaters from Maranello compete, then there is a dramatic lack of communication given the stellar distance that divides the two teams, as pointed out by F1 expert Roberto Cecere for the Italian FUnoanalisitecnica website.
The hope assumes a framework unknown to us where there are some elements that can support this optimism in the medium term, as the present, unfortunately, considering expectations, narrates an embarrassing superiority of the RB19 car.
Without the presumption of wanting to teach communication lessons, bearing in mind that always trying to see the positive aspects and not focusing on the negative ones is the correct path, the Ferrari universe is much more complex than the other teams in which Fred Vasseur has worked, such as Renault and Alfa Romeo. Perhaps this fact is still not clear to the French manager?
Not being far from the top legitimizes the aspiration of drivers and fans in the possibility of closing the gap with the competition in a reasonable time. In all likelihood, the experienced French executive is trying to instill confidence in a team disappointed by the technical project and, consequently, shaken by the various changes to the organizational structure of the sports management.
The Prancing Horse missed the podium in the first three Grands Prix of the 2023 Formula One season. To find such a depressing start we have to go back to 2014 with the advent of the hybrid era. It is probably premature to raise the white flag. Nonetheless, recognizing errors and mistakes by always trying to call things by their proper name would be clearly more realistic and above all necessary for the cause.
Continuing to minimize the performance deficit to Red Bull in the short term could become a media boomerang which, on balance, would be considerably harmful. An element that, of course, would bury even more a team in clear difficulty on various fronts.
From what we can imagine we will see yet another year of transition if these are the real goals. That’s why, the Ferrari supporters should evaluate the work of the Maranello engineers based on realistic objectives rather than fictitious slogans which over time will become more and more mocking.
