Ferrari is the latest team to reveal its challenger for the upcoming 2023 F1 season. While the SF-23 is an evolution of last year’s car, Ferrari says it has been “completely redesigned” as it looks to mount a more serious championship challenge, with new team principal Frederic Vasseur at the helm.
- Vasseur replaces Binotto as new team principal
- Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz continue with the team
- Suspension redesigned
Ferrari SF-23 updates
As is tradition for Ferrari, the new SF-23 also sports a red-dominant livery, this time combining matte red with some naked carbon fibre sections. The ‘long F’ Ferrari logo also returns on the rear wing. “Our 2023 car is an evolution of the one we raced last year, but in reality, it has been completely redesigned,” says Enrico Cardile, who is the head of the chassis area.
Aerodynamic changes have been made to increase vertical downforce and “achieve the designed balance characteristics”. The suspension has been redesigned to increase the range of adjustments that can be made to the car on the track. “The most obvious changes are in the area of the front suspension where we have moved to a low track rod,” added Cardile. Further changes have been made to the front wing and nose.
The team continues with an unchanged driver line-up, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Both drivers had the chance to drive the SF-23 at Fiorano after the official reveal.
Vasseur: Winning championship won’t be an easy task
The start of 2022 saw Ferrari mount their its serious championship challenge for the first time since 2018. The F1-75 won a total of four races and secured 12 pole positions. But despite having a strong car, the team’s early promise faded as the season progressed, largely due to poor strategy calls, reliability issues and, at times, even driver errors.
Leclerc ended up finishing the season in second place, 146 points behind title winner Max Verstappen. Ferrari, meanwhile, was 204 points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ standings.
But the team enters 2023 with a new direction – former Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur being drafted in to replace Mattia Binotto. “Over the past five weeks, I have had the chance to get to know many members of our team. We have a great group of people here and it is clear that motivation is high throughout the team,” said Vasseur, who officially started work in early January.
“Today we launch our 2023 contender together with our partners and tifosi, and I am very pleased with how the car looks,” he added. “Our focus will soon shift to another aspect, which is its speed and performance. We have two talented drivers who are both eager to win and have the skills needed to achieve this. Our objective is to win the championship, which will not be an easy task as our competitors will have exactly the same target in mind. We have to bring the right mindset with us and always work on being better tomorrow than we are today.”
Official pre-season testing for the 2023 F1 season starts on February 23 in Bahrain. The first race will be on the same track on March 3-5.
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