Qualifying for the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix gave us a surprising, almost unexpected result, especially if we look back at how the same session ended 12 months ago at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne. And to think that Ferrari, at this moment, was celebrating Charles Leclerc’s pole position. The SF-23, thanks due to the management of the pit wall, only managed to put Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in a position to start this year’s Australian Grand Prix only from the fifth and seventh position, respectively, of the starting grid.
The clear step backwards of the Maranello team, combined with the improvements of Mercedes, Aston Martin and Williams determined us to make a comparison between the 2022 and 2023 qualifying sessions held here at Albert Park one year later. What emerges is truly difficult to accept, especially if you look at the progress made by Mercedes-powered cars.
Improvement for each car over 2022:
TEAM (s)
Aston -4.010 ‼️
Williams -3.763 ❗️
Haas -2.692
Merc -1.857
RB -1.422
Alpine -1.241
AT -1.127
Alfa -0.675
Ferrari -0.598
McL -0.584
The table above shows the best times set by the drivers of each single team.
Aston Martin is confirmed as the car that has progressed the most: Fernando Alonso has improved the time set last year by Sebastian Vettel by more than four seconds. An impressive accomplishment. Together with the Anglo-Canadian manufacturer, Haas and Williams also made a lot of progress that is worth more than 2”5. A solid step also for Mercedes, capable of recovering 1”8.
However, the team that surprises us the most is the one that won the championship last year: Red Bull gained 1.4s. Which means that the German side is only 4 tenths closer…
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What hurts, but really hurts, is the situation for Ferrari, in the sweet company of McLaren. For them, the evolution of one year has brought only half a second in terms of lap times. Of course, the mistakes made in terms of traffic management must be considered (with poor tyre preparation and Carlos Sainz hindering Charles Leclerc) and also the choice to focus on a set-up more for the race than for qualifying.
Let’s be clear though: there is a gap. This gap, which here in Melbourne is worth more than half a second today, would not have been a lot smaller. There are many problems to be solved and despite the good pre-testing impressions, something in Ferrari’s development must necessarily have gone wrong. Now taking over the whole project appears to be a titanic task.
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