On summer break with a smile
The first half of the 2023 Formula 1 championship hasn’t been easy for Scuderia Ferrari. The Maranello-based team, which had finished the previous championship in second place in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ standings, quickly found itself as the fourth force on the grid, slipping behind not only Red Bull but also Mercedes and Aston Martin.
However, just before the summer break, during the Spa-Francorchamps weekend, a significant step forward was finally seen for the red cars. The third place achieved by Charles Leclerc in Belgium – the third podium of the season for the Prancing Horse, all obtained by the Monegasque driver – sent the top ranks of the team into the holiday with a hint of a smile.
A (Slight) Growing Trend
Indeed, Ferrari has shown encouraging progress that could represent an important signal for the second half of the year, especially in terms of being as prepared as possible for the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season. The improvement is also certified by the numbers: in the first six GPs of the year, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz brought home 90 points; in the subsequent six races, the points rose to 101. A 12% increase, the highest percentage increase among the teams currently in the top four positions of the standings. The growth trend is what Team Principal Frederic Vasseur, in his first summer break as the head of the Ferrari pit wall, aims to continue.
The Development Plan
Interviewed by Autosprint magazine, Fred Vasseur outlined a rather precise timeline, even in terms of on-track improvement. A data point that can mean everything and nothing, as it obviously needs to be compared with the progress other teams will make. According to the French manager, it testifies to the right direction of the work done by the men and women of Maranello. “We have a development plan that tells us our car will be two tenths faster in September, another two in October, and another four in 2024. We have our work plan, and we can’t waste time synchronizing with others, whom we don’t know,” Fred Vasseur explained in his interview with Autosprint.
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Fred Vasseur’s first F1 car
This inevitable transitional phase leading to the start of the next Formula 1 season will be particularly important for Fred Vasseur’s management. It will indeed be the first concrete impact that the former manager of Renault and Sauber can give to the Scuderia, after inheriting the strengths and weaknesses of work developed by a different management earlier in the year. Achieving the role of second force behind Red Bull by 2024 would already be a significant milestone for a team that is also diligently working to define the future of Charles Leclerc as soon as possible. Fred Vasseur strongly believes in him, and it seems that Charles Leclerc’s contract renewal is drawing closer.
