Ferrari test driver and brand ambassador Marc Gene is confident that the different characteristics of the Jeddah Street Circuit, which will host the second round of the 2023 Formula One championship, should allow the Maranello team to get closer to rivals Red Bull in terms of race pace, as Formula 1 heads to Saudi Arabia.
The first race of the 2023 F1 campaign, in Bahrain, could scarcely have gone worse for the Maranello team, who missed out on a podium finish in Sakhir, unlike rivals Red Bull, who locked out the front row in qualifying and went on to easily secure a one-two finish far ahead of the rest, with Max Verstappen leading home his teammate Sergio Perez on a Sunday to forget for Scuderia Ferrari.
Following the winter pre-season testing session, it was clear that Red Bull started the new season as the strongest team, but the Italian side was expected to be much closer and challenge the Austrian side for the 2023 Formula 1 titles. Unfortunately, the Sakhir race proved to be a dispiriting one for the Maranello team, as Charles Leclerc once again encountered a power unit reliability issue and had to stop his SF-23 car on the side of the track while running in third place, while his teammate Carlos Sainz could had to settle for a P4 finish, being passed by the Aston Martin car of Fernando Alonso. Tyre degradation was a serious issue for the SF-23 car, in a Sunday in which Ferrari was not even the second fastest car on track.
Neither Charles Leclerc nor Carlos Sainz were able to match the race pace of Red Bull at the Bahrain International Circuit, but Marc Gene is confident that the drinks-backed squad’s dominance in the first round may not be replicated in Saudi Arabia, pointing out that Scuderia Ferrari’s perceived advantage in terms of top-end speed could play a decisive role at the Jeddah circuit:
“It could be quite track dependent,” Marc Gene replied when asked about the Red Bull dominance in Bahrain – “Another strong point for Ferrari is we are very fast on straights. You could see we managed to defend from Aston, from Mercedes. In the past, Ferrari was very weak in that respect. For me, Jeddah is very important because it’s a high-speed track. I think our cars should be very strong there. That’s my personal feeling.” – the Ferrari brand ambassador added.
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In the qualifying session at the Bahrain International circuit, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were able to get a little bit closer to the Austrian side, finishing third and fourth on the grid behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. However, the Monegasque driver opted not to complete a final fast lap in Q3 with the goal of saving a fresh set of tyres in view of Saunday’s event, aware of the tyre degradation issues that the Maranello team is facing just like in the second part of last season. Still, Marc Gene believes that Charles Leclerc could have won the battle for the pole position by going for one final attempt in Q3:
“In qualifying, we can beat Red Bull. I’m quite sure even Charles could have gotten pole [in Bahrain]. But the tyre degradation is unbelievable, and I’m sure today they were managing it. We know they’re hard to beat, but it’s just started, it’s the only the first of the 23 [Grands Prix in 2023], so there’s still a long way to go.” – Marc Gene explained.
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