How can Ferrari be a real challenger in 2023 F1 season? 

Ferrari had a memorable 2022 F1 season. The team produced a worthy title challenger in the form of the F1-75. They arguably had one of their most successful seasons in terms of numbers in a long time. However, the Scuderia's journey was not free of errors, and the team ultimately failed to pick either of the two titles (drivers and constructors).

The outfit is striving to maintain its lead ahead of the trailing Mercedes. Notably, the Italian unit was leading the season at one point, and with three races still left to go, Ferrari is seemingly threatened for even a proper P2 finish. This has become a repetitive existence for the Scuderia. The outfit has failed to materialize its car's pace and potential into a title win for 15 long years now.

The Maranello Marques failed to bring any challenge to their closest rivals, Red Bull. Before the season even hit the summer break, Max Verstappen managed a 100-point lead over the Scuderia's lead Charles Leclerc. Consequently, the outfit came to terms with the reality and shifted its focus to 2023.

However, after presenting a weak front in 2022, Ferrari will have to undergo profound changes if they are to mount a title challenge ever again. Here is a list of everything the team is in desperate need of ahead of 2023:

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#1 Ferrari needs to improve their team strategies

Amidst the many changes the Scuderia needs to undergo, team strategy is definitely at the top of this list. Ferrari was heavily criticized for their blunderous team calls that threw away Charles Leclerc's multiple leads this year.

From calling on Leclerc for an erroneous pit stop in Monaco to putting on the infamous hard tires during the Hungarian Grand Prix, there is no end to the list. Further, another habit the team picked up later in the season was to consistently ask their drivers for advice mid-race.

The strategists would present an indecisive front to their drivers and ask them to choose from countless alphabetical plans while concentrating on the race. Teams like Mercedes and Red Bull were much calmer and were rarely spotted carrying out a strategy of this sort.

Ferrari is in dire need of upgrading its technical team calls with respect to the race's in-the-moment requirements. Further, they need to exhibit confidence in strategies that do not require drivers to be distracted from driving.

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#2 The team needs better leadership

Mattia Binotto, currently the team principal for the Scuderia, has been with the team for the longest time. The Swiss-Italian engineer was responsible for creating one of the most dominant engines of his time and donned several roles over the years.

In hindsight, he was indeed one of the most experienced and an obvious choice to lead the team. Understandably, the 2022 season was going to test how Binotto would handle the pressure. It's safe to say that the fraternity was far from convinced with the Italian's handling of his team.

The Team Principal denied any problems with the team's strategies as Ferrari continued to visibly drown in its errors. Although the team has done an excellent job, Binotto expressed the shocking opinion that Ferrari needs no changes. The former engineer was also seen openly denying Leclerc the right to speak his mind post the British GP antics.

Many believe that, before anything else, the Maranello camp needs to change its mindset, which might include replacing Binotto.

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#3 The team needs to produce a more reliable car for 2023

Ferrari and reliability did not go hand in hand this season. While already struggling with strategies, the team was also plagued by an unpredictable car. The F1-75, though fast, faced several mechanical issues in its course.

The team has had five mechanical DNFs this season, which is a lot for any top team. In fact, the Ferrari engine was also unpredictable for its customer teams, who also faced several DNFs this season.

The team lost costly points in its title race owing to these DNFs that will need to go in 2023. Unlike Red Bull, the outfit did not even manage to bounce back from the issues and consistently lost points.

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#4 The car needs to be easier on the drivers in 2023

The Maranello-based camp was in a fight with Red Bull this year for the 2022 title. The Austrian team's straight-line speed was unmatchable at one point, with the outfit dethroning Ferrari as the fastest car of the year soon enough. While the F1-75 started as the fastest car, its updates and development were not as profitable for the team as the RB-18's.

Further, the car struggled with tire management and was not easy to handle, exposing Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to countless driver errors. Max Verstappen's manager, Raymond Vermeulen, even claimed this about the F1-75:

“A lot of the mistakes that happened to both Ferrari drivers was because they seem to have quite a loose rear, that’s a little bit unpredictable. And then obviously, if you’re already a little bit on the backfoot, you push that just extra couple of percent more, and you’re driving closer at the limit, then it’s obviously easy to make a mistake."

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#5 Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz need to work on their mistakes

While Leclerc and Sainz's performances did not account for a big chunk of Ferrari's problems, they must be addressed. The two drivers were under extra pressure as the outfit consistently made blunderous calls. However, there were times when the duo yielded to the pressure and made a costly mistake.

After securing a comfortable lead over Verstappen during the French GP, Leclerc crashed into the wall while pushing too hard. The driver's mistakes in Imola and especially in Suzuka also did not go unnoticed as Verstappen was ultimately crowned the champion owing to Leclerc's error. While Leclerc has performed wonderfully throughout the season, these errors cost him at least 40-50 points in the championship.

On the other hand, Sainz was often unlucky and paid the price for others' mistakes. His errors in Spain, Canada, and during the British GP, however, remain noteworthy and will need to be reduced in 2023.

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#6 Ferrari needs more consistency in both driver results

There was a time during the season when Ferrari could not carry out a smooth race for both its drivers at the same time. Crashes, DNF, and strategy errors always took either one or often both of them out.

In the 19 concluded races, Ferrari has had a double podium only four times this season. Sainz and Leclerc enjoying a good race at the same time was a rare occurrence, and needed more if the team was to gain points.

To challenge rivals in the title race for 2023, the duo will have to start finishing ideally on the podiums more often and, at the very least, in good points together. Ferrari cannot repeat its highly inconsistent results from 2022 to 2023.

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#7 The team needs to build more confidence and enthusiasm as a unit

A significant thing that Ferrari lacked this year was self-confidence and a strong mindset. From weak leadership to not knowing what strategy to apply, the Maranello Marques did not look championship ready.

It was hard for the team to carry out a confident error-free session during any race. Further, drivers (especially Sainz) sometimes even lacked the confidence to lead a race, spinning out of nowhere and awarding the lead.

In fact, despite driving only the third fastest car, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have been largely credited for pushing Mercedes constantly and showing a more championship-like spirit. This confidence and attitude was something the Maranello team and its drivers consistently lacked.

If Ferrari wants to lift a title again, the team will have to carry out a 360 change in their work process. The outfit must undergo several changes to show a true championship spirit.