Charles Leclerc witnessed a terrible start to the 2023 season. Leclerc suffered an engine failure during Lap 40 after his power unit’s control electronics and energy store components failed.
The Ferrari driver was knocked to the bottom of the championship, finishing in Bahrain with 0 points. But things haven’t improved at Ferrari’s camp since then.
David Sanchez, Ferrari’s Chief Engineer of Vehicle Concept, submitted his resignation right after the season’s first race. This leaves the team in murky waters right with a blow to their title hopes.
Who is David Sanchez? Where is he heading?
David Sanchez played a key role in developing the car for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in 2022 and 2023. He was the Head of Vehicle Concept for the team and oversaw the aerodynamics of the F1-75 and SF-23.
Sanchez previously worked with Renault until 2005 and McLaren between 2007-12. During his time at McLaren, he worked as a senior aerodynamicist and played a crucial role in developing Lewis Hamilton’s championship-winning car in 2008
The Frenchman joined Ferrari in October 2012 as a Principle Aerodynamicist. He played a key role along with Simone Resta in Ferrari’s resurgent years in 2017 and 2018.
Sanchez had an influential role under Mattia Binotto’s leadership. And the incoming of Fred Vasseur must have changed the dynamics within the team, prompting him to resign. Or maybe he is looking for a new challenge elsewhere.
He has left his position effective immediately, which will be filled by someone within Ferrari. Where Sanchez’s heading next is still unknown.
Rumours state that he is headed to England and possibly return to McLaren. But after spending a decade with Ferrari, he will have to spend a year on the sidelines before joining his next team.
Also Read: “No Point Of A Powerful Engine”: Helmut Marko Bashes Ferrari For Continuing Charles Leclerc’s Woes
Charles Leclerc reckons Red Bull is too fast to beat
Charles Leclerc was forced to retire after an engine failure. But even during the race, his car was far off the pace of the Red Bulls. And the Ferrari driver accepts the difference in performance
Max Verstappen cruised comfortably to grab the pole position and win in Bahrain. While the Monegasque was struggling to catch up with Perez.
Leclerc said post-race, “I was as confident as I could be, being one second off of the pace per lap, which is not really confident, to be honest. Red Bull seems to have found something really big in their race pace.”
The Monegasque claims Ferrari was able to match up with Red Bull during Qualification. But the RB19 was much superior on the longer runs. However, had the engine failure not happened, Charles admits he could have finished P3 ahead of Fernando Alonso.
The season looks more or less in Red Bull and Verstappen’s hands now. Even Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and driver George Russell consider Red Bull to sweep victories in every race this season.
