Ferrari, illusory qualifying: SF-23 doesn't allow for great expectations

While the qualifying session for the Mexican Grand Prix surprised everyone, including Ferrari themselves, the race didn’t offer any major surprises compared to the course of the 2023 championship’s evolution. The SF-23 was expected to struggle with tire management, and it did. That said, it wasn’t a disaster.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz left Hermanos Rodriguez with a third and fourth place, which are certainly commendable results. However, the 71 laps of the event showed that neither the Red Bull nor Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes (a different story for George Russell’s car) were within reach for the two red team drivers.

It should be noted that the red flag caused by Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, which had a ruinous exit that interrupted the race, didn’t help the Prancing Horse’s strategic plans. Nevertheless, the general feeling is that Red Bull #1, which as usual did its own race, and Mercedes #44 appeared to be more solid.

In the end, the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship ends in a tie. The gap, indeed, remains unchanged at 22 points. Everything now hinges on Brazil, the Grand Prix that concludes an exhausting triple-header culminating with the last Sprint Race of the season. There will be more points up for grabs on a track that has brought both joys and sorrows for the Scuderia.

Ferrari: A Starting Problem
The SF-23’s subpar performance in tire management is a well-known issue. This situation also affects the start, as the drivers struggle to warm up the tires during the formation lap. After the race, Frédéric Vasseur focused on the starting aspect, identifying it as one of the reasons for a Grand Prix that didn’t provide the Singapore repeat some had expected.

“We didn’t start well,” the Ferrari boss admitted without reservation. “The start was not good; we gave everyone a tow and lost complete control of the situation. When you start badly, you offer a slipstream to others, and this put Carlos and Charles in a difficult position between Verstappen and Perez. From there, the accident happened. Leclerc lost a part of his front wing, and the situation also became a mess for Carlos. But the problem wasn’t the management of the start, but the start itself. Max was already ahead of Carlos after a few meters.”

In fact, Max, who equaled Alain Prost’s total number of victories yesterday and set the record for wins in a single season, took off like a rocket, immediately making it clear that he would turn ahead of everyone at the first corner. This was Red Bull’s plan, and it immediately set the race on more comfortable rails.

Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!

“We can’t be satisfied with the final position if we look at where we started. The weekend, overall, wasn’t negative, especially in qualifying. Even the pace in the first stint, despite Charles’s front wing damage, wasn’t far from Max’s,” Fred Vasseur stated.

Ferrari’s race took a decisive negative turn when the race director had to impose a red flag and a standing restart. There were no new medium sets available, which weighed heavily in the outcome of the final stint. “We struggled a lot more with the hards at the restart and in the last part of the race. That’s where we lost our pace. We were also conservative on the stint length using the hard tires, and we were on the limit. We were surprised that Hamilton was able to do so many laps with the mediums.” Nonetheless, the seven-time champion’s tire management skills are well-known.

Ferrari has no choice but to regroup and prepare for the Brazilian event. The goal is to replicate their qualifying performance for greater consistency in the race. The performance difference between these specific phases remains too great, and there probably aren’t any fixes to be applied from now until the end of the season. “We need to do better next weekend,” the French team principal concluded.

Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Achieved the Best Possible
With this SF-23, the two drivers did their best, considering how the race evolved. The double podium didn’t seem within reach for the Scuderia right from the start, and despite the red flag further affecting the work of the two Carlos. Leclerc’s race risked being very short. The Monegasque, starting from pole position, found himself trapped between the two Red Bulls at the entrance to Turn 1. That led to contact with Perez, which sent the RB19 flying and then off the track.

Sergio was forced to retire due to the damage to his car, while Charles managed to continue despite the endplate of the front wing coming off, which also prompted an investigation by the stewards, ending with “no further action.” This incident sparked the frustration of the local fans, who expressed their disapproval when Leclerc appeared on the podium.

“First of all, of course, it’s a real shame that it happened to Checo in his home race,” Leclerc said. “On the other hand, looking at the images, I had nowhere to go. We all braked at the same point. I was trying to stay as close as possible to Max on the right, but I don’t think Perez knew that Max was there; he started turning, and then we collided.” No responsibility for the Monegasque, a fact confirmed by Perez, who admitted his fault in the incident after the race.

“We had quite a bit of damage on the front left of the car. We were worried about the suspensions; they weren’t in good shape. On the other hand, it was a surprise to keep up with the pace and have a strong race from that point onwards. We struggled a bit more as a team with the hard tire, so we need to examine that.”

Charles Leclerc, always realistic, never believed in victory. “I don’t think I could have done better, so of course, I’m satisfied with my personal performance. At the moment, we don’t have the car to win. Even Mercedes seems to have had the upper hand on us today. Once again, we had some damage, so I think that played a role, but they were very strong.”

Carlos Sainz’s race was less remarkable, as he progressively lost ground to his teammate after the start. “I’m not entirely satisfied,” the Spanish driver said. “Of course, I’d like to get on the podium, but it was two very chaotic starts, and I was cautious in both to avoid any contact.”

“In Mexico, it’s always quite chaotic. Once the race settled down, it was quite boring since I had to manage the temperatures all the time. In the end, I think the third and fourth places were the best we could achieve this weekend.”

The recurring issue remains tire management. Carlos Sainz reiterated it, “I think the medium tire was too optimistic given the tire’s duration. We always struggle with tire durability, so this is the advantage that Mercedes had. Sometimes they can bet on a softer tire even if the stints are longer.”

With these difficulties, the drivers must strive to challenge Mercedes for the second place. It’s not an impossible task, but it’s certainly becoming more challenging as time is running out, and Hamilton seems to have found his old form as the W14 evolved. Interlagos will be a great test.