[Video] Watch Charles Leclerc test his 2023 Ferrari for the first time | GRR
The launch of Ferrari’s F1 challenger for 2023, the SF-23, caught a few by surprise. High spirits, optimism and even some fast laps on the newly-revealed machine by their championship protagonist speak of confidence at Maranello in their car for 2023.
Normally our first proper glimpse of these cars getting any meaningful exercise is at testing and actually, more often, FP1 of race one of the season. But in this case we got a full view of the SF-23 getting extended pretty aggressively around Fiorano by Charles Leclerc, only moments after seeing what the car even looks like. It sounds good, looks quick and looks poised as he pushes the pace upwards. That said, it doesn’t get more ‘home turf’ than Fiorano, does it. We’ll obviously have to wait and see how the championship plays out but honestly, we have confidence in the Scuderia.
At the very least, their areas for improvement are obvious. Last year’s race management by the team – in terms of its strategy calls – left a lot to be desired, with a sense that there wasn’t confidence in the calls being made. Likewise the car itself, while fast when working, was often unreliable, meaning they had to ‘turn down’ the engine, robbing Charles and Carlos of its potential performance. In spite of the engine development freeze, exceptions are allowed in terms of modifications for reliability. We hope they’ve gotten on top of it so that what is a stunning machine can go as fast as it looks, and potentially secure a championship.