The change of the format for the Sprint races forces the Formula 1 teams to also change the approach to the next Grand Prix of the season, which is scheduled to take place in Azerbaijan.
Scuderia Ferrari, after a month’s break following the disappointing trip to Melbourne, will show up in Baku motivated to start recovering some serious points against Mercedes and Aston Martin.
Charles Leclerc’s zero points at the Albert Park circuit, due to the contact in the first lap with Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, and the similar outcome of Carlos Sainz in terms of points, the result of the five-second penalty imposed by the FIA for hitting the other Aston Martin car at the restart after the second red flag, has been put behind by the Maranello team: the Scuderia looks to the future in the belief that it has found the right line of development to fully exploit the potential of the SF-23 single-seater
With two qualifying sessions, the one on Friday which will determine the grid for the Azerbaijan GP and the one, presumably shorter on Saturday morning, perhaps to allow just one run instead of two, to define the line-up for the Sprint race which, to all effects , turns into a shorter race separated from the rest of the weekend.
The format will be officially defined in the F1 Commission scheduled for Tuesday and will be ratified by the FIA World Council with a remote vote, but the teams have already worked in the simulation systems with a work program that includes only one free practice session on Friday, given that the second was replaced by the second qualifying.
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The Scuderia, therefore, has decided to limit developments for Baku: in addition to the kit of wings necessary for adapting the SF-23 to the characteristics of the track which is made up of two slow sections and a very fast third, with medium-low load requirements, it will only bring an evolution of the beam wing, postponing the first update of the sidepods, with a more excavated form in the lower part, most likely for the Miami Grand Prix.
In the end, rationality prevailed over the desire to take risks, even if the reaction of the Racing Department during the month off was very concrete and productive. One fact is certain: Scuderia Ferrari will not make tactical and strategic reasoning aimed just at the race, but will seek the maximum performance of the SF-23 cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the two qualifying sessions at the Baku City Circuit.
The more Ferrari manage to get a red car in front, the easier it will be to defend certain positions, without running the risk of being involved in accidents. And then, if it’s true that tire degradation is now more under control thanks to the basic setup that was finally be found in Australia, Ferrari’s pace in the race should be less penalized than what was recorded in Bahrain and Jeddah.
The Maranello team resumes the F1 world championship as if it were a second start to the season after a difficult and very disappointing first three rounds. Ferrari fans will have to grit their teeth again: they shouldn’t expect a car ready to reverse the trend, but they will see a concrete Ferrari determined to capitalize on what the SF-23 will be able to show in terms of performance, without making other gifts to the rivals in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend as was the case in Australia.
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