Ferrari has presented this Tuesday the car with which it hopes to snatch the leadership of Red Bull, the SF23. With a spectacular staging, the Italian team has squandered confidence to present itself as a contender for the throne. The Fiorano circuit, in Manarello, has been the luxurious setting for one of the most unusual and incredible presentations in memory in Formula 1.
Enlivened by a violinist and with a large red and yellow mosaic made up of a hundred privileged tifosi, Ferrari opened the season with a presentation of just over half an hour that included, for the first time in Formula 1 history, the broadcast on direct from the first filming on the track of a single-seater.
Charles Leclerc was in charge of filming first. The Monegasque beat Carlos Sainz in the fun draw that they represented before Frédéric Vasseur, the new Ferrari boss, and became the first driver to sit behind the wheel of the SF23. The draw was one more sample to show that the Frenchman will not have preferences for his old friend, Leclerc, when it comes to directing the Italian team: "I don't care who wins (the first race), I care that it's from Ferrari . We are going to give the same material to both, but the team goes first, ”he warned during the presentation.
The competition between the two drivers will be maximum this year and they face it with sportsmanship, as could be seen in the presentation: “It is always very tight between us and we always try to stay ahead of the other. It's good, it's healthy competition. We enjoyed it”, explained Carlos Sainz. The Spanish rider, who is facing his third season with the Italian team, finished fifth in the last World Championship, achieving one victory and nine podiums. Charles Leclerc, second last year behind Verstappen, also recognized this healthy rivalry: "We pushed each other." The Monegasto was ambitious with the new season: “The goal is to win, clearly.
Ferrari faces the challenge this season of overcoming Red Bull, which was intractable last season with Max Verstappen at the helm. The Italian team, second in the Constructors' World Championship, has changed team boss to take a step forward. Mattia Binotto left the team at the end of the season and has been replaced by Frenchman Frédéric Vasseur. An engineer by training, he has extensive experience in Formula 1, where he has worked with great drivers such as Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg. Vasseur has a close relationship with Leclerc that dates back to the Monegasque's debut in F1 when the Frenchman was team boss at Sauber. Sainz and Leclerc will have the same. There is no driver number 1 and number 2 ”, Vasseur recently stated to make it clear that his long friendship with the Monegasque will not affect the Spanish driver.
The new SF23 should improve Ferrari's reliability problems last season, marked by several retirements that prevented it from competing against Verstappen's Red Bull. "Last year, it's no secret, the engine was not the best asset," Vasseur acknowledged.
The teams are preparing for the new Formula 1 season that will start on March 5 at the Sakhir circuit, with the Bahrain Grand Prix. With the presentation of the new Ferrari single-seater, there are only two teams that remain to announce the vehicles with which they will compete in 2023: Mercedes and Alpine. The German team will do it tomorrow and the French one a day later, this Thursday.
Yesterday, Fernando Alonso participated in the presentation of his new Aston Martin, the AMR23. The 41-year-old Asturian driver hopes to bring greatness and ambition to the British team in what will be his twentieth season in Formula 1. "We are not going to win races or the title this year, but we are going to lay the foundations," he acknowledged. Alonso.
