Mattia Binotto’s decision to step down as team manager Ferrari following the disappointments of the 2022 season has put Maranello in a tricky position for the winter. Whatever the qualities of Binotto’s likely successor, Frédéric Vasseur, he will need time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and what needs to change at Maranello.
In the age of the budget cap, making the wrong decisions at the start of the year can have serious long-term consequences. Did the Scuderia make the right decision by pushing Binotto to resign? Only the future will tell. But meanwhile, it’s routine on the engineering and design side of the vehicle. And it is crucial that the team still benefits from the technical input of Binotto, who remains under contract and continues to work hard at Maranello until the end of the year.
The message sent by Charles Leclerc during the FIA ceremony last weekend in Bologna, it was clear: the technical team must not be distracted by problems within the management. “I am confident because we are doing a lot of work on the simulator”Leclerc said of the progression of the 2023 car. “We have been working extremely hard for a year to try to understand what the weaknesses of the car were in order to do better for next year’s car. Of course Mattia is still at the factory, he is working and trying to help the car. team to be ready for 2023.”
“Again, I feel that if the transition is done in the right way, we shouldn’t suffer too much. I also think that following the 2021 season, where we have worked very well and reset things a bit to the rest of 2020 – it was a difficult season – we worked in the right direction and in the right way. It gives me good hope to have a competitive car for 2023.”
There’s certainly more confidence at Maranello than away at the moment, and historically that hasn’t always been the case. Change will definitely come once Vasseur has had time to get his bearings, but it doesn’t look like Ferrari needs a revolution. Small management tweaks might be enough to make a difference in this battle with Red Bull et Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc comes out of the garage at the wheel of the Ferrari F1-75
The data emerging from the work in the wind tunnel looks very positive. The 675 project (this is the code name of the 2023 single-seater) will represent a leap forward in quality compared to the F1-75. The engineering team led by Enrico Cardile focused on two key areas which appear to have cost the Scuderia dearly once morest Red Bull.
First of all, it’s regarding increasing top speed with more aerodynamic efficiency. The drag issue was not only the speed difference with the DRS open but also the approach taken to the aero-elasticity of certain parts: this is where Red Bull may have been a lot smarter. . This does not only concern the fins but also the overall behavior of the single-seater when it reaches its top speed in a straight line.
The second priority was tire management. Pirelli has adopted new front tires to reduce understeer, which might suit the needs of the Ferrari concept as well as Leclerc’s riding style.
In Maranello, the mathematical model of the new tires has already been adapted for simulation purposes and the first results are positive. Ferrari has been shrewd in offering all its help to Pirelli with the 2023 tire development programme, knowing that any feedback to give and get might be crucial to Grand Prix weekend performance.
From the outside, the 675 won’t look much different from the F1-75. The overall concept will remain similar, but there will be adjustments, in particular at the level of the rear axle with a much more pronounced shape at the level of the “Coke bottle”.
Another source of confidence is the progress made by the engine department and its leader Enrico Gualtieri in terms of the reliability of the 066/7 power unit. Dyno testing suggests that the technical glitches that abounded in early 2022 have been resolved, and the team is therefore confident of being able to harness the full power of its engine next year.