Grazie Ferrari: Scuderia Ferrari Reveal Their 2023 Challenger
via Ferrari
MARANELLO, Italy (PSF) — The legendary Italian Formula One team Scuderia Ferrari are the eighth team out of ten to release their challenger for the 2023 season. The car named the SF-23 will be driven by the returning duo of Charles LeClerc and Carlos Sainz. After finishing as last season’s runner up in the Drivers’ Championship, Leclerc will look to build on last season and remains a favorite for the upcoming championship battling Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and perhaps dark horse candidate George Russell. As for Leclerc’s teammate, Sainz will also look to use last season as a confidence builder as he is still learning how to race a car that has expectations of being a continual podium claimer. The roll out for the SF-23 was a true epic event as shortly after seeing the design of the car, we were able to see it out on track as the Ferrari duo of Sainz and Leclerc took the car for a spin around the track at their headquarters in Maranello, Italy in front of the tifosi to their (and my) delight.
What seems to be a theme for this season’s challengers is the use of the carbon fiber black in an attempt to save some weight. The Ferrari livery is a classic one. It is one that rarely changes, and when it does, it is very minimal. This year is no different. Last year’s car, the SF-75, was a very plain car that put the Ferrari red on full display with the exception of a minor "75” decal on the back of the car. This season, the SF-23 dons little accents of the carbon fiber black that is featured on the side, front, and back of the car. It is an impressive feat for Ferrari to be able to add in these bits of black onto a classic red car without it feeling like it is doing too much or trying to strip the livery from its “classic” title. There is not much more to say about this car from a cosmetic standpoint as it still feels like a very good looking Ferrari car.
The SF-23’s design will look to meet the expectations of Ferrari fans as the design that can return Ferrari to its former glory as a championship winning team. This car has fewer cooling louvres on the side of the car than last year and also adds an interesting looking separate section towards the front of the car. Their famously deep sidepods from last season have reverted to a shallower design to look to improve in the aerodynamics department. The final interesting design choice is their implementation of the “S-Duct.” Ferrari is the only team to utilize the S-Duct that will take in high pressure energy in front and below the sidepods and comes out over the sidepods that makes an ‘S’ shape when the travelling flow is diagrammed.
I have high hopes for Ferrari this season. Carlos Sainz is my favorite driver on the grid and it pained me to watch the struggles of the team last season from a reliability standpoint as well as a strategy standpoint. With Team Principal Mattia Binotto leaving and Frederick Vasseur coming in to take over, I hope that the impact of a new leader can take the team to new heights. The Ferrari has always been one of the best looking cars on the grid, but it looks even better when it is crossing the line in P1.
