Is the Ferrari SF-23 car that we saw in the first round of the 2023 F1 season, at the Sakhir circuit, representative of what we can expect from the 2023 Ferrari F1 car for the rest of the year? This is what many Tifosi are wondering following the Bahrain Grand Prix, which marked a very disappointing start to the new campaign for the Italian side, with a single-seater that was expected to challenge Red Bull based on the data from the simulation tools and the wind tunnel during the winter development period. There is a fear that the new championship will once again be easily won by the Austrian side, as was the case last year, despite Ferrari’s strong start in 2022. The RB19 was able to run almost one second faster than last season in Bahrain, while the Maranello team Ferrari found only 0.5s wih its SF-23. The Bahrain Grand Prix was therefore cause for a lot of discouragement and pessimism among the Tifosi hoping for a title challenge this year.
A bad joke is now circulating in the British F1 circles: «Fred Vasseur is beginning to understand why nobody wanted to go and manage Ferrari». The Frenchman held his first general meeting a few days ago in front of his employees, inviting them to stick together and not be discouraged by the difficult start to the season. There are several problems that worry the team, grappling with profound changes.
The first concerns the technical front. Why were the excellent simulator and wind tunnel data proven wrong at the first round of the 2023 Formula One championship in Bahrain? Excluding calculation errors – the simulation tools have been completely updated recently – the explanation is that a technical vacuum has been created in the transition from Mattia Binotto to Frederic Vasseur. The former Alfa Romeo boss took office on January 9, met a few times with the heads of the various departments (chassis, aerodynamics, engine) before the final resolution of the single-seater and the presentation on February 14, leaving the engineers to carry out their program as previously established.
An attitude dictated by the very little time to adapt to the new position, by the lack of experience in large companies, and by a management philosophy inspired by chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna, who requires people capable of assuming their responsibilities.
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