“I think we have achieved it in Melbourne”: Despite disaster weekend, Ferrari find hope with SF23’s performance in the Australian F1 GP

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur sees the silver lining despite a disastrous weekend for the team in Melbourne. Vasseur claims his 2023 challenger, the SF23, was able to get on top of its tire degradation issues in Australia, expressing hope for the future.

The Scuderia had a woeful outing at Albert Park last weekend, with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz failing to score points. Leclerc crashed out in the first lap of the race while Sainz dropped out of the points after being awarded a five-second penalty for colliding with Fernando Alonso.

Sainz was able to manage his tires well without a significant update to his 2023 car, showing hope for the rest of the season. Both Ferraris have struggled with tire management since the start of the season, giving the advantage to rival teams.

Vasseur said (via SoyMotor.com):

"We haven't brought any big aerodynamic upgrades regarding Jeddah. The question was to find the ideal balance of the car. I think in Melbourne we did it, the SF-23 was much easier to manage, much more consistent throughout the race,"

However, the team is still definitely on the back foot compared to the 2023 benchmark Red Bull, who have been dominant at all tracks so far.

Fernando Alonso defends Ferrari's Carlos Sainz

Following a five-second penalty given to Carlos Sainz by the stewards for a collision with Fernando Alonso during the F1 Australian GP, his fellow Spaniard came to his defense.

The incident took place during a tumultuous race at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, where both Alonso and the Ferrari driver were competing for the third spot after the final restart.

Speaking to the media after the race, Fernando Alonso said about his collision with the Ferrari driver:

“Obviously, I didn’t know who touched me in that moment, I just felt [it]. In lap one of the first start, someone touched me in Turn 3 and then in the last restart, Carlos apparently touched me in Turn 1."

"Probably only [in] Jeddah, I had the normal start, in Bahrain also in Turn 4, Lance touched me into Turn 4. So, yeah, I’m very attractive out there. But our car is strong enough, so it doesn’t matter if they keep touching us."

Alonso added:

“Probably the penalty is too harsh because on lap one it is very difficult always to judge what the grip level is and I think we don’t go intentionally into another car because we know that we risk also our car and our final position."

"So sometimes you ended up in places that you wish you were not there in that moment. And it’s just part of racing. I didn’t see the replay properly, but for me, it feels too harsh.”

With the Scuderia team currently in shambles after the Australian GP, it will be interesting to watch their progress over the course of the year.