Ferrari, once the main rival to the formidable Red Bull, has lost a lot of momentum this season. Unlike last year, when Charles Leclerc led the team’s charge against Max Verstappen, this season has seen a shift in dynamics. After witnessing this, an ex-F1 driver, Christian Danner, found himself perplexed by the Italian team’s “catastrophic” decision-making, despite boasting brilliant minds.
In a recent Sport.de interview, the ex-Arrows driver actively evaluated Ferrari’s 2023 season performance, highlighting numerous question marks due to inconsistency and unpredictability. The F1 driver elaborated on the matter, “Ferrari is far from the stability that this team needs to have a car to take to the track that basically works straight away.”
Unfortunately, the Scuderia have only found success by capitalizing on Red Bull’s missteps, notably in Singapore with Carlos Sainz. Danner’s criticism extended beyond Ferrari, as he further described Mercedes’ initial car concept decision as a catastrophic choice, similar to its Maranello rivals.
He said, “At the beginning they made a fundamental mistake: they still showed up with the old car concept. A catastrophic decision. I don’t understand how this could have happened.”
While Danner may have analyzed both Mercedes and Ferrari critically, a significant point to note is that it was Ferrari who emerged as the primary challenger to Red Bull in the concluding races.
What are some realistic goals for Ferrari in 2024?
Ferrari concluded the 2023 season with notable successes, showcasing remarkable consistency. In the latter part of the season, there were promising indications of better strategies and teamwork between drivers and engineers.
These improvements translated into noteworthy showings at the Singapore GP, Las Vegas GP, and the last race in Abu Dhabi. Still, team boss Frederic Vasseur has shared his perspective on the overall situation. The Frenchman emphasized the importance of learning from past mistakes.
According to Planet Sport, Vasseur said, “For sure, we gave up more points than our competitors and that means it is another topic that we need to work on for next year, to be more opportunistic and more efficient.”
With Vasseur’s statement, it’s evident that Ferrari is turning to their past experiences to reduce the deficit. However, the Prancing Horse is also aware of Red Bull’s significant lead in development. As per recent information, RBR is looking to assert dominance in 2024 by pushing its current concepts to an unprecedented level.
The primary goal for every team, including Ferrari, will be to minimize the performance gap with Red Bull. However, to achieve this, the Scuderia needs to figure out its car concept better. Besides this, tightening the communication across the team will also be a priority on Vasseur’s list.
