Former Ferrari test driver and Le Mans winner Marc Gene claims the team's SF-23 has gotten around its tire degradation problem and currently has no major issues.
The Scuderia team has failed to impress in 2023, having finished P9 and P10 in Britain. They have notoriously struggled with high tire degradation, which stopped Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz from pushing to the limit at Silverstone.
However, Gene claims that the SF-23 does not have any real weak points in its car post-British GP. He is, hence, hopeful for the upcoming 2023 F1 Hungarian GP.
The Italian team are looking to bounce back from a dismal streak in recent times. And the Hungaroring track is likely to suit the SF-23 more than Silverstone's high-speed track.
Speaking about the Ferrari SF-23's progress, Marc Gene told SoyMotor.com's Twitch channel:
"I think we no longer have any problems, we are no longer concerned about the issue of degradation. In Canada we went well, in Austria too and in Silverstone the degradation was not a problem."
He continued:
"We are not going to Hungary to reconfirm anything, because the issue of set-up and degradation we have solved."
Charles Leclerc wants to take Ferrari back to the top despite recent drop in performance
Charles Leclerc is determined to take Ferrari back to the top steps of the sport despite a recent dismal streak for the Maranello-based team. The Monegasque has been unable to challenge the mighty Red Bulls in 2023 despite expressing hopes of dethroning Max Verstappen at the start of the year.
Leclerc finished P2 in 2022's standings, after posing a title threat earlier on in the season. However, the team was unable to sustain its challenge against Red Bull, giving Verstappen his second title win with relative ease.
The driver is seventh in the 2023 standings after a mediocre run in recent times. Despite his team's form at the moment, Leclerc remains confident that he can take his team back to the top. He told The Guardian:
“This year is far away from where we expected it to be but being a Ferrari driver is something very special. I don’t feel the outside pressure but I am putting myself under a lot of pressure in order to succeed, the responsibility of bringing Ferrari back to the top."
With the tight and twisty Hungaroring likely to suit Leclerc's car, it will be interesting to watch him race in Hungary next weekend.