Formula 1: Ferrari must figure things out before it’s too late
Things are not looking good for Ferrari so far in the 2023 Formula 1 season, and they must fix their issues before losing out on their hopes.
The clock is ticking for Ferrari, as they have fallen behind the pack this season. It has been quite surprising to many, given the fact that they were one of the best teams in Formula 1 last season. Some of their issues from last season have bled over into this one, and it is definitely not what they had hoped for.
Like some other teams, Ferrari have brought a car this season that is not up to their standards. If anything, it is a regression from the F1-75 used last season.
Additionally, reliability has been quite an issue for Ferrari this season. They are already using their spare parts, which are supposed to be for the duration of the season. Things have turned out quite poorly for Charles Leclerc especially, as the 25-year-old has endured two DNFs through the first three races of the year.
Carlos Sainz Jr. is having better luck this season in comparison to his teammate. Despite having 14 more points and fewer reliability issues, he had his moment of unluckiness in Australia recently.
At the end of the race, the stewards hit Sainz with a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Fernando Alonso. Following one lap behind the safety car, it meant that Sainz dropped from fourth place to 12th, resulting in a loss of valuable points.
However, the Spaniard has also expressed his concerns regarding the SF23’s engine. Nevertheless, he still maintains optimism for Ferrari going forward. Sainz explicitly referred to Red Bull having a double DNF to start the 2022 season before they went on to take both the driver and constructor world championships.
Ferrari believe that their 2023 Formula 1 season can still be saved.
The team expect several upgrades to be gradually input into the car from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the end of this month until the Spanish Grand Prix in early June. It may not fix all of their problems, but the expectation is that Ferrari should be able to compete for podiums in every race.
These upgrades will give Ferrari the confidence to catch up to Aston Martin and Mercedes in the constructor standings. Right now, those two teams sit 39 and 30 points ahead, respectively.
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As Ferrari head to Azerbaijan in a few weeks, they will definitely use this time to reset. A rough start to the season is not enough to stop them as they look to turn things around in the upcoming races.