Ferrari wants to win back Formula 1 after 15 years of drought (AFP)

Ferrari presented its new car on Tuesday at its Italian headquarters in Maranello, with the ambition to reach the level of Red Bull, after a last season marked by costly mistakes in race strategy and reliability problems. There Scuderiawho hasn’t won since Austrian Grand Prix held on July 10, finished second in the constructors’ championship, behind the team of the double and current world champion Max Verstappen.

The drought seems endless for the most successful team in the history of the category: the last drivers’ title dates back to 2007, with Kimi Raikkonenand that of the manufacturers until 2008. “The most important thing for us is to put Ferrari first”, declared the Frenchman Frédéric Vasseur, the new director of the team, who arrived from Alfa Romeo after the departure of Mathias Binotto in November.

With its traditional red bodywork with black details, the 2023 version of the single-seater – called SF-23 – will have to demonstrate greater reliability than last season, marred by a large number of retirements. “Last year, it’s no secret, the engine was not the strong point (of the car). We did a good job and we are ready for the seasonVasseur said.

In detail, the vehicle maintains the same aerodynamic shape, although it has a greater separation from the asphalt (15 mm more by order of the FIA). In addition, the gearbox is more compact and in terms of weight, he lost 1 kilogram, which excites his pilots.

This is the Ferrari car (AFP)
This is the Ferrari car (AFP)

For its part, Charles Leclerc The vice-world champion was optimistic: “The goal is to win, clearly.” In turn, the Spaniards Carlos Sainz Jr. He was looking forward to the start of the season which will take place on March 5 at the Bahrain Grand Prix: “I have worked hard this winter to prepare myself. Last year, I had my share of success but it was not an easy season (…), I know that I can do very good things”.

For now, Ferrari Its lead driver has yet to be decided, so during the presentation Leclerc and Sainz tossed who would do a few laps with the car. It was the Monegasque who had the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of the new Ferrari to step on the accelerator in front of 500 ‘tifosi’.

“It is important for Carlos and for me to be fully motivated, to do the best possible in the first part of the season,” said the Monegasque, who says he shares his love for paddle tennis and chess with the Spaniard. outside the paddock. “Later on, if at some point in the championship a driver is clearly in the battle for the title, I’m sure the team will do everything possible to put him in the best possible condition,” he added.

Although having taken the car out of the garage before the press, Ferrari did not detail the arrangements made during the winter: “The concept of the car is the same, the regulations are the same (…) Only Bahrain will tell us where we are in terms of reliability and performance,” Vasseur said.

Carlos Sainz Jr, Frederic Vasseur and Charles Leclerc (AFP)
Carlos Sainz Jr, Frederic Vasseur and Charles Leclerc (AFP)

With information from AFP

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