Marc Gene believes "Ferrari SF-23 car no longer has any true weaknesses"

Ferrari, a difficult 2023 Formula 1 championship
It is undeniable that the first part of 2023 has so far been far from Scuderia Ferrari’s expectations. The SF-23 single-seater has shown several shortcomings, as well illustrated by the constructors’ standings where it sits in fourth place behind Red Bull, Mercedes, and Aston Martin ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix: after all, only one pole position and two podium finishes are too meager of a haul for a team that finished last year with second place both among the drivers and the teams.

Since the winter pre-season testing session, both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have wanted to keep expectations low, especially after observing the competitiveness of the Red Bull RB19, which has been collecting victories, with ten wins in as many races. Frederic Vasseur, who arrived in January to replace Mattia Binotto, is gradually reshaping the technical organization in his own image, while pushing for developments.

What was seen in Canada and Austria had given a glimmer of hope to Ferrari’s many fans, with the car showing speed and consistency and seeming to have found a solid foundation to build further progress upon. However, the race in Silverstone brought Maranello back down to earth, as the Red team finished only ninth with Charles Leclerc and tenth with Carlos Sainz, even behind Alexander Albon‘s Williams. Budapest, the next stop on the championship, should be a good track for the SF-23, and it has been circled on the calendar (along with Singapore) by Frederic Vasseur, as recently mentioned in an interview.

The thoughts of Marc Gené
Speaking on the Twitch channel of the Spanish outlet SoyMotor, Scuderia Ferrari brand ambassador Marc Gené explained that he is optimistic about the progress made by the Red team in recent weeks: “I don’t think there is a specific problem anymore, we are not worried about tire degradation. We did well in Canada, we did well in Austria, and tire degradation was not a problem at Silverstone. We won’t go to Hungary seeking confirmation because we have solved the setup and degradation issue. Now it’s time to have good races and get on the podium when possible. Hungary should be a good track for us. We now approach the races with a different mentality, as we no longer have any true weaknesses on our car.” – the Ferrari ambassador concluded.