During the usual appointment on Sky Sport after the Formula 1 world championship races, several experts were asked to comment on the result and performance of Scuderia Ferrari in the 2023 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the Maranello team in light of the events that took place at the Baku City Circuit.
At the beginning, Ivan Capelli shares his thoughts and states: “It’s difficult for Ferrari to defend against Red Bull, especially in the first part of the race. The SF-23 car still struggles with a full tank of fuel and can’t keep up with the others.”
Italian racing driver Matteo Bobbi, who has experience in several motor sport categories, including three years as a Minardi test driver in Formula One, then continued with a data analysis: “There is a different behavior of Ferrari with empty and full tanks. If we analyze the pace, there is a gap from Max Verstappen of 6 tenths on average, with peaks of even one second. When the tanks are empty, the average becomes 0.2, so it halves or even more. There is a huge difference in behavior between a full and an empty car, also given the height from the ground: with an empty car, they go faster in the corners, while when they are full, they have to go slower in corners and also run higher. That’s where they are working and studying.” – the Italian pointed out.
At this point, Marc Genè, former Ferrari test driver and current Ferrari ambassador, was asked for his opinion, especially given his knowledge of what happens in Maranello. “This analysis was done in Ferrari even before Melbourne, and they are working on it. In Australia, Carlos Sainz had an excellent performance, and there was no tire degradation, while there was a good pace from Charles here. Ferrari reacted quickly after the first races of 2023 and already improved the tire issue by working on the short term solution, namely the setup. Now we have to see the long term.” – Marc Genè explained.
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“I disagree with what the guys are saying,” – SkyTV Italian commentator Davide Valsecchi added – “Ferrari and Charles Leclerc were very strong, but I’m not sure it was so extraordinary at the end. He had all the opponents behind, but compared to the leader, there is still a lot missing. The Prancing Horse was passed at the restart, and I’m sure that the two ahead lowered the power after the halfway point of the Azerbaijan GP.” – Davide Valsecchi concluded.
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