This time last year, Charles Leclerc had two victories to lead Ferrari in its most credible title challenge since 2018. Twelve months on, he’s finished with just one three races, calling it his “worst start to a season ever”. Enns believes that major changes must now be made to the car, rather than minor setup tweaks.

All told, Ferrari sits just fourth in the standings, while its 2022 rival Red Bull maintains a perfect victory record. However, new team owner Fred Vassell has given a far more optimistic figure. “We (are) moving in the right direction,” he said. “The mood in the team is very good.”

The positivity came even as he dismissed the prospect of Maranello designing a “B-spec” car for later this term. Why is he so optimistic when there is no sure panacea on the horizon that can restore fortunes?

Plus: Why Ferrari isn’t changing its 2023 F1 car concept to copy Red Bull

First, it should be admitted that both the driver and Vasseur may be guilty of using too much pudding. Leclerc delivered his speech shortly after a contact-induced spin into the gravel on the opening lap of the Australian Grand Prix. Speaking of spur-of-the-moment, it would be understandable if his prospects were particularly bleak. At the same time, Vasseur probably doesn’t want to dent morale or upset Ferrari’s board so soon after he takes the job, so he’ll lean toward a little more optimism.

Vasseur is also easy to nitpick, pointing out that the first three venues in Bahrain (abrasive asphalt), Saudi Arabia (dominated by straight-line performance) and Australia (heavily disturbed by red flags) were all anomalies. “We need to understand three events, it’s not a complete panel of the circuit,” he said, adding that Rapid Baku is also unconventional, so even after four rounds the true order of competition may not be clear. Only when the season comes to a close on a more traditional circuit will Ferrari’s underpressure-driven car concept kick in.

Leclerc retires on first lap of Australian GP

Photography: Lionel Ng / motorsport pictures

The problem with that argument, however, is that giving up four tracks is writing off a quarter of a season of playing time. Furthermore, the team won two of those venues last year and could have won a third race in Azerbaijan had Leclerc’s engine not blown. In the end, Red Bull’s sweep proved that a car can be adapted to any situation. But the SF-23 is not.

It is easier to validate Vasseur’s optimism when looking back at a weekend in Australia that could have been considered a missed opportunity. Compared with the last round of the race in Jeddah, the tighter Melbourne should be more suitable for Ferrari’s strengths. But again qualifying was disappointing, with Sainz fifth and Leclerc seventh.

However, some of the half-a-second gap they were behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen could be attributed to poor pit management. Ferrari mishandled traffic conditions on the preparation lap, causing tire temperatures to drop and hampering their first stage. According to Vasseur, one driver may have lost the front row.

While it was a sign of poor execution, the final stretch in Melbourne did pave the way for cars to trip over each other. At other tracks, Ferrari should be better involved. Improving track handling is, in theory, an easier task than upgrading a car that’s simply substandard. So it’s not all doom and gloom.

Arguably, events that took place 24 hours later also proved to be deceptive. Leclerc was eliminated before completing a stage. Meanwhile, Sainz broke through the red flag as he crossed the line behind the safety car to secure fourth. The final 12th place was due to Fernando Alonso’s five-second penalty for kicking the ball in the first corner, and Ferrari has applied to the FIA ​​for a review of this decision.

Apart from his frustration with the race stewards, Sainz was quickly forced into a damage-limited drive after pitting immediately before the first pit stop. Looming red flags seriously undermine strategy. But as part of his recovery, the pace of the race was on a par with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso – within 0.2 seconds per lap, also with Lance Stroll’s yardstick.

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur optimistic despite poor start

Photography: Ferrari

Vasseur explained: “We took some different directions in terms of development in Australia. It paid off. It felt weird afterwards because we were very frustrated. Quali, we are not far from doing a good job, but for various reasons We didn’t deliver. In the race, the speed was okay for me. We were a little bit unlucky on the safety car red flag and we had to do an extra pit stop. But after that, (Sanz) was able to come back and overtake Several cars to push the tires.”

After Sainz calmed down after being punished by match control, Vassell thinks he was equally relieved: “He also accepted the positives of the weekend, considering that even though we didn’t score for different reasons, we moved forward. A real step forward in terms of performance and we have 20 races to go. We have to look to the future. He has responded well. He was with us in the sim (last week) and he is very motivated.”

Speaking of looking ahead, Vasseur promised Ferrari fans that they won’t have to wait long. While there won’t be a “B-spec” – which is dictated by cost caps, aerodynamic constraints and the belief that the current camouflage will bring more – a rapid stream of more minor updates is brewing.

These won’t be launched in Baku, when many of the rivals will debut new parts after a four-week break to race closer to their European headquarters to save on shipping costs. Furthermore, Ferrari believes it has optimized the aerodynamic configuration for Azerbaijan. Also, having a second qualifying session in the first sprint event would make that round less attractive for promotion. When the revised schedule adds an extra element of competition, the risk of a crash increases, and fewer practice sessions leave less time to correlate the impact of the new component.

Instead, new parts will be used at each round in Miami, Imola and Barcelona. These were delivered ahead of schedule as Ferrari insisted it had reacted quickly to its tepid start. It tweaked the development path to focus on addressing car balance issues, while an update originally written for Spain will now arrive in time for its first visit to Italy.

While the upgrade plan leans toward evolution rather than revolution, Vasseur confirms that Ferrari will still be aggressive: “We’re going to keep updating this, we’re going to try to do a massive update…we have that feeling, and I hope we’re right , we will be in the right direction, we still have a lot of room for improvement in the car.

“That means as long as we can still develop the car to gain points, and the aerodynamics can be better balanced for better stability, it makes sense to push in that direction.”

There are limits to Vasseur’s enthusiasm. He has not committed to a goal of surpassing Red Bull, Mercedes and Aston Martin. Instead, he wants his team to isolate themselves. Ferrari is underperforming and needs to focus first on getting the most out of its cars, nailing down a strategy and preventing further unreliability (even if those shortfalls carry over directly from 2022). But, crucially, Vasseur says he sees enough potential. It underscores the upbeat tone he and the team are playing.

“The mood of the team is very good for the level of results we have achieved,” insists Vasseur. “Everyone is very motivated and very focused. Drivers, they are very supportive of us. The relationship with Benedetto (Vigna, CEO) was also very positive. Of course, we did not get the results we expected. But we are all working together to improve the situation.”

Can Ferrari challenge Red Bull later this season?

Photography: Ferrari