After two weeks of vacation and the FIA-regulated factory shutdown, the spotlight has returned to the world of Formula One. This weekend, the engines roared back to life, and normal activities resumed with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. For the Scuderia Ferrari, this return to normalcy proved to be difficult and intricate, at least based on what transpired during the first two days of the Dutch weekend. In fact, the team encountered one of the most challenging and enigmatic qualifying sessions of the entire 2023 Formula 1 season.
Indeed, since yesterday, the Prancing Horse drivers have struggled to find a connection with the SF-23, grappling with its stability on the undulating Zandvoort circuit. They faced difficulties in performing adequately and securing a strong position in the Top 10, ultimately finishing in sixth and ninth places in qualifying (with Leclerc also involved in an incident in Q3). This challenging session was analyzed by the Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari, Fred Vasseur, in an interview with Sky Sport F1.
Firstly, the French manager provided an assessment of the Maranello team’s performance on the Dutch Friday, expressing dissatisfaction with the gap to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and the incident involving Charles Leclerc, which inevitably added complexity to an already challenging qualifying session.
“The gap is too wide, although it doesn’t fully represent today’s picture. It was complicated, and that’s how it went. Charles had a crash, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Now, let’s focus on tomorrow, where we believe we have a good race pace and low tire degradation.”
The 55-year-old from France then delved into the details of Charles Leclerc’s crash in Q3: “When you push, you’re always on the edge. He put a wheel off track and lost control of the car. It’s part of the game; perhaps he pushed too hard.”
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The former boss of the Alfa Romeo team went on to analyze the fluctuating nature that is defining Ferrari’s 2023 season.
“Even a tenth has a significant impact on performance. I think the top eight teams, excluding Max Verstappen, are very close, and performance depends on many factors. It’s not like in the past, where hierarchies were clear; now there’s a great mix of cars, and you can be second or fifteenth, as happened to Hamilton or Albon.”
Fred then explained the strategy that was planned for Charles Leclerc, apart from the Q3 crash.
“We wanted to have a new set [of tires], but in these conditions, you know that surprises are around the corner. Charles didn’t make a mistake; he’s right to push.”
After Zandvoort, the Italian Grand Prix is on the horizon, and Fred Vasseur couldn’t evade questions about it: “In recent races, there have been ups and downs due to details, as happened with McLaren. We always have to do our best, regardless of the next weekend. Here, we need to do our best and do the same at Monza, where, again, we start from scratch. Certainly, it will be a completely different track from this one.”
He was then asked to explain the stark strength of the Scuderia on the straights and the evident weaknesses in handling: “It was a technical choice to have this version. We have an advantage on the straights and in fast sections, but it will help us in tomorrow’s race.”
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