Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, has raised concerns about the extended periods of gardening leave in Formula 1 and how they may delay the Scuderia’s return to the top of the podium. The Italian outfit has faced a challenging start to the 2023 season, with only one podium finish courtesy of Charles Leclerc in Azerbaijan.
Not only have Ferrari struggled on track, but they have also experienced some turbulence behind the scenes with several high-profile departures. McLaren announced the signing of Ferrari’s head of vehicle concept, David Sanchez, while sporting director and deputy team boss Laurent Mekies is set to leave to become AlphaTauri’s team principal, replacing Franz Tost.
Vasseur expressed his frustration with the contractual situation among engineers in Formula 1, highlighting the contrast between teams’ agility in recovering from setbacks during a race weekend and the slower pace of making significant personnel changes. Although Ferrari has made a key hiring decision recently, the individual, believed to have been signed from a midfield team, will not be able to have an impact on Ferrari’s performance until 2025.
Vasseur explained, “The issue in F1 is inertia. On one hand, we look very agile. We can change things overnight to fix issues from one race to another. But when you want to make strategic changes, we are not agile anymore. The recruitment process takes years, not days.”
Despite the challenges, Ferrari introduced a major upgrade package at the recent Spanish Grand Prix, abandoning their unique sidepod concept for a more conventional design. Although the revised SF23 car has yet to yield improved results, Leclerc’s practice pace in Canada caught the attention of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, indicating that Ferrari could be strong at the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix.
Currently sitting fourth in the Constructors’ standings, 45 points behind second-placed Mercedes, Vasseur remains committed to the current car and believes it is crucial to fix its issues in order to learn from mistakes and make progress for the future.
He stated, “I will never give up on this one because for us to fix it is the best way to understand and avoid mistakes. We are developing the car in this direction to achieve consistency and make it easier to drive. Step by step, we are heading in the right direction.”
Despite a disappointing qualifying session in Montreal, Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz showed resilience, finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Vasseur found encouragement in Ferrari’s performance compared to Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who finished second, less than 10 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen.
Vasseur concluded, “In the last stint, we were on the same tires as Alonso, with almost the same number of laps. The gap was plus or minus one second over 30 laps. While some may argue that Verstappen was not flat out, I don’t believe that was the case. Compared to a few weeks ago, we finished just 10 seconds behind Alonso, which was almost the same gap we had at the end of Lap 1.”
Ferrari remains determined to overcome their challenges and make steady progress, aiming for improved performances and results as they navigate the remainder of the 2023 season.
