Scuderia Ferrari had high hopes. After finishing second in the Constructors’ Championship in 2022 and with Charles Leclerc runner up to Oracle Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who won his second consecutive World Drivers’ Championship, the iconic Formula 1 team came into 2023 ready to return to prominence and add to their record 16 Constructors’ titles.
“We had the target to try to win the championship in 2023,” Charles Leclerc said, “but once we arrived for the first race and we saw that the car was below our expectations, we had to modify our target.”
Battling a temperamental car as well as issues with tire wear early on, Ferrari finally found its footing and raced to a third-place finish in the Constructors’, three points behind Mercedes, as Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz were fifth and seventh in the drivers’ standings, respectively.
In a season dominated by Verstappen, who won 19 of 22 races including 10 consecutive, and Red Bull, winners of 21 out of 22, Ferrari remains focused on the bright spots as it gears up for the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Sainz’s victory in Singapore was the lone non-Red Bull win on the 2023 F1 calendar, while Leclerc finished the campaign with three poles in the final five races, which included second-place finishes at the Las Vegas Grand Prix and in Abu Dhabi.
“Clearly it wasn’t the season we were all expecting,” Sainz said. “That doesn’t mean there weren’t good moments along the way with a win in Singapore, some pole positions and some podiums, but that’s not what we’re here for.
“As Ferrari we want more, and this year we’re going to try to make a step forward in the right direction and put together a stronger season.”
Searching for its first World Drivers’ Championship since Kimi Räikkönen’s victory in 2007 and its first Constructors’ Championship since ’08, Ferrari again has high hopes this year, not only buoyed by second-half consistency and success from its drivers in 2023, but a better understanding of its new SF-24 car.
“When we arrived here in 2023, the car wasn’t really reacting the way it should have been reacting,” said Leclerc, who had three wins in 2022. “It was a very inconsistent car and in those cases, it’s very difficult to actually find the right direction in order to push all in the same direction because there were so many issues on the car.
“Whereas this year, we are starting with very clear ideas of what are the weaknesses of this car after the first three days and we know exactly which direction we need to push to better those weaknesses of the car. Compared to last year, we have a much clearer vision of where we want to go and how to go to where we put our targets.”
With the strengths and weaknesses of the car clearer ahead of this weekend’s season opener, there are still some questions surrounding Ferrari, particularly Sainz.
In an offseason announcement that sent shockwaves throughout motorsport, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is set to trade in the black, silver and green of Mercedes AMG Petronas for the iconic Ferrari red beginning in 2025. That leaves the 29-year-old Spaniard in search of a seat for next season.
“I don’t know where I’m going [next]. I don’t know what will be my best option,” Sainz told reporters earlier this week. “… Obviously I will maximize my last year at Ferrari. I really want to have a good last year with this team and give my absolute best for everyone in Maranello.
“I’m going to need to take my time to decide where I go. We will obviously speak with the options available and see what the best long-term project is for me and my career and the best project that gives me the possibility to be a world champion and in the end, it’s my dream and the thing I want to do as soon as possible.”
Michael LoRé 