Following what was another underwhelming season for the Ferrari F1 team, the Maranello-based outfit’s head of chassis area, Enrico Cardile, recently detailed the shortcomings of their 2023 concept, leading to them finishing third in the constructors’ championship. Heading into the next season, the development team only has redemption on their minds, given the car’s performances in the last two seasons.
Another year without a championship but after a strong second half of 2023 are things starting to look up for Ferrari? #F1 https://t.co/cWXTHwXPZ7
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 23, 2023
Quoted in a report by FormulaPassion, the 48-year-old detailed how the 2023 car was only a development on the 2022 version and did not feature many new components. He further talked about the 2024 Ferrari car being a “new beginning” for the team while shining light on the need for a new car to achieve their goals.
“Unfortunately, we realized very early that we would soon reach the limits of our development direction. The existing chassis did not allow us to make any changes. That’s why the 2024 car will be a new beginning.”
After achieving positive results in Spain and Austria, the team hit a development barrier and could not modify their car according to the track requirements. Hence, they had to endure subpar performances and settle for fewer points in races that suited their car on paper. However, the team is now focusing on coming up with a chassis and an aerodynamic structure that will prevent such issues in the future.
Fred Vasseur understands Ferrari missed multiple opportunities in 2023
Recollecting Ferrari’s unforced errors in 2023, Fred Vasseur called for his team to stop gifting points to their rivals, which also led to Mercedes finishing above them in the year’s constructors’ championship. Both teams had all to fight for when heading into the final race of the season. While Ferrari looked like the better team, both Mercedes drivers did enough to ensure they would secure P2 for their team, outscoring their Maranello rivals by a mere three points in the championship.
| Fred Vasseur on Ferrari’s 2023 goals:
“I can’t go into Ferrari, who finished second last year, and say the goal is to finish 5th.
“The objective is very clear: we have to win.”
— formularacers (@formularacers_) January 28, 2023
A lack of reliability stood as the primary cause behind Ferrari not outscoring Mercedes this season, despite being the only team to win a race other than Red Bull. Multiple DNFs and a DSQ stood in the way of Charles Leclerc bringing in valuable points for his team, while Carlos Sainz also had to endure a similar fate after retiring from a couple of races in 2023.
Given the same, Vasseur claimed there would no longer be a “what if” culture within his team, and instead, Ferrari would work on being more opportunistic. “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.”
