2023 Ferrari F1: Team principal Fred Vasseur | Drivers Charles Lecrec and Carlos Sainz
After finishing a distant second in last year’s Formula 1 season, Ferrari hopes for a better 2023. They are banking on Fred Vasseur to shake things up.
Ferrari had a blistering start to the 2022 Formula 1 season, with Charles Leclerc winning two of the first three races. However, it went downhill from there due to a combination of costly pilot errors, mistakes in strategy, and technical problems with the cars.
The team still managed to clinch second place in the constructor’s championship, but Leclerc’s runner-up finish left a bitter taste in the mouth. He began the year as a serious rival to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, only to falter as the season went by.
After seeing the championship slipping through their fingers, team principal Mattia Binotto tendered his resignation at the end of 2022 after four years with the organization, and Ferrari appointed Fred Vasseur, formerly of Alfa Romeo, to take his place.
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Fred Vasseur
Vasseur is a French motorsport engineer who worked previously with Renault as team principal before moving to Alfa Romeo. He is starting his tenure with Scuderia Ferrari cautiously optimistic. He did not offer predictions on how the team will perform in the Bahrain Grand Prix, which opens the season, as they are still getting familiarized with the car. Vasseur however says that the team is upbeat and that they are in a good position to start the year. He emphasizes that as a top team, Ferrari will not settle for second place and will only aim to be champions.
Charles Leclerc
Leclerc ended last year with 308 points to Verstappen’s 454 to finish second overall, narrowly edging out Sergio Perez with a lead of only three points. The 25-year-old’s talent was apparent as he made nine pole positions throughout 2022, but these did not translate to wins as he only took home the gold in three races.
Carlos Sainz
Last season was a memorable one for Sainz, as he scored his first pole position and Formula 1 win at the British Grand Prix, his 150th race start. However, 2022 was also a challenging year for him, as he ended the season 62 points behind LeClerc, who out-qualified him 15 times. The Spaniard believes he can be more consistent this year, as he feels that he is more accustomed to the new cars.