Ferrari has only taken one victory this season, a Singapore, but notable progress has been evident since the summer. Without this probably not even that one victory snatched from Red Bull and to direct competitors i.e Classic Mercedes for sale and McLaren, would arrive. Ferrari is currently third in the constructors' standings, behind Mercedes. The Maranello team paid for the disastrous start. Ferrari started the season as the fourth force in the championship, behind Mercedes and Aston Martin which has lost its way in the meantime. However, the Red team managed to redeem itself after the summer break, recovering 34 points against Mercedes. In recent weeks Ferrari has relaunched itself in the fighting for second place in the Constructors' Championship. A position which, until recently, seemed firmly in the hands of Mercedes and which, according to Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur it could help the little horse grow in view of 2024.
The challenge with Mercedes is an opportunity to grow
After the summer break, the SF-23 improved markedly, taking two consecutive pole positions and taking a victory in Singapore, during the only weekend of 2023 in which Red Bull was surprisingly more vulnerable. The SF-23 now seems more predictable, constant, and allows you to be more daring with balance and load, as also happened at Suzuka, a complicated track on paper for Ferrari but which gave some very positive feedback. It is precisely these lessons that Vasseur believes would serve to form a solid foundation for the future.
Usually the second part of the championship is focused on preparing for the following season. Ferrari, however, is dedicating itself a lot to trying to achieve its ranking objective by the end of the season. An important update has arrived in Suzuka, a new fund. This raised alarm fans who fear they will start at a disadvantage next year, due to the Budget Cap. Tuttavia, Frederic Vasseur reassured the fans, clarifying his vision of the future at Ferrari and the importance of the fight with Mercedes to build a more competitive 2024 car.
“We must not postpone the fight, the fight today is with Mercedes and we must do it. It's always the best way to prepare for the future, for the team mentality, it is crucial for everyone to be in the fight. We want to fight until the end of the season. This noIt's never a sacrifice, because I believe that performances come out through performing. It's too late to go into the wind tunnel for this season, but what we can do on the current car can help us next season."
In small steps
The team's work had already begun before the summer break and the latest updates. The results, according to Vasseur, were indicative of this growth, especially in Spa.
“Before the break we were already in good shape. Already at Spa-Francorchamps Charles had shown that the car had good potential. He should have started fourth, but instead he found himself on pole and did well. It's often a matter of a hundredth of a second, sometimes you take a small step and you have the feeling that everything has changed. It's not exactly reality and from race to race, from track to track, everything changes. Even for the drivers, because sometimes the set-up is more suitable for Charles, other times for Carlos. It's sport, in the end you can accept that one does a better job than the others from weekend to weekend. I think the competition is positive and that this helps us improve."
Source statements: Motorsport.com
