Season Debrief: Looking back at Ferrari's 2023 campaign

Ferrari and the Tifosi can walk away from the 2023 F1 season knowing they were the only driver to beat the dominant RB19 in a race, Carlos Sainz taking the only non-Red Bull win of 2023 in Singapore. The SF-23 showed promising pace at times but all that was quickly undone by a lack of consistency and their unpredictability in corners, which saw them lose pace to the Bull’s.

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Ferrari’s fight was with Mercedes for P2 in the constructor’s championship, ultimately, the Maranello team settling for P3 in the constructors after a failed attempt to keep Russell out of the top 3 in Abu Dhabi. Key races for the team were in Monza, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi.

 

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Carlos Sainz, to the delight of the tifosi in the grandstands, landed on pole for their home race. The crowd erupting in joy as Carlos Sainz crossed the line 0.013s ahead of a feisty Verstappen. Leclerc following in P3, not far from the time of the Bull. Carlos Sainz was eventually in the race passed by both Bulls, and it would be another 1-2 finish for Red Bull, with the two Ferrari drivers scrapping at the end for the final podium position, but it would be Sainz to seal the deal on the third step on the podium.

 

Next up on the calendar was Singapore, a track that the RB19 did not look particularly fast in. Once again Carlos Sainz lined up in P3 for the start with Leclerc once again in P3, Verstappen running from P11 and Perez even further back in P13. It was a brilliant race for Sainz, hungry for a race win. The battle heated up in the final lap of the race between the top 4 of Sainz, Norris, Russell, and Hamilton. In the final few corners brought Russell into the barrier with the top 4 squabbling for points, Russell’s crash out on the final lap allowed Hamilton to take the final podium place and Sainz to complete the race in P1. Sainz winning the only race to not feature a Red Bull driver on the podium.

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Heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari had their sights set on P2 in the championship. Leclerc and Russell battling it out at the front of the top 10, with Sainz and Hamilton fighting in the back of the top 10. With Sainz looking at the end of the race to finish outside of the points, Leclerc made a risky call on the final lap to let Perez through knowing he would get a place back with Peres’s 5-second penalty. With the hopes to keep Russell back enough to stay off the podium therefore Ferrari still finishing with enough points to finish P2 . The plan failed with Russell still completing the race in the top 3 and thus Mercedes finishing 3 points ahead of Ferrari in the championship.

 

Ferrari may have thrown away key opportunities, but the team appears to be more stable under the watchful eye of their new team principal Fred Vasseur. Ferrari’s 2023 campaign shows with the right changes they have the potential to comeback in 2024 and close the gap.