Ferrari SF-23 Valentine's Day gift to Tifosi

Ferrari SF-23 Valentine’s Day gift to Tifosi

NewsDesk 3 min read

Ferrari SF-23 Valentine's Day gift to TifosiFerrari revealed their 2023 Formula 1 car, the SF-23, on February 14, in what may be the best Valentine’s Day gift the Tifosi could receive from their beloved Scuderia.

The SF-23 is Ferrari’s second attempt at the new F1 aero regulations that were introduced in 2022 with “ground effect” being the downforce generating means, with the target of allowing the new cars to race much closer without losing performance in the process.

The 2022 F1-75 was quite a successful car, very fast in qualifying, while having a bit of an appetite for tyres during the races, which put Ferrari on the back foot on Sundays while battling with Red Bull. So will the SF-23 retain this trait? Or have the engineers at Maranello dialed this problem out of the new car?

Ferrari enters the 2023 F1 season with an unchanged driver lineup, one of the best on the grid, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz carrying on.

But the team will be under the new leadership of Frederic Vasseur, who replaced Mattia Binotto and will be tasked to lead the team towards that elusive F1 Title again.

Will the Frenchman succeed in his mission? Will Ferrari finally break their duck in 2023?

Many questions the F1 fans, the Tifosi in particular will be seeking answers to, but for now let’s enjoy looking at the striking SF-23.

Leclerc takes the SF-23 for a spin

Notably, Ferrari did not waste any time, as Charles Leclerc climbed into the SF-23 immediately after its reveal and took it for a spin around Fiorano. Carlos Sainz had to patiently wait for his turn.

Leclerc completed a successful installation lap in the SF23 in front of the Tifosi, before handing over to his teammate Carlos Sainz.

Leclerc said: “Our whole team has put a lot of work into this new car and seeing it in front of us for the first time just feels amazing. It means that the start of the season is very close, which is always an exciting moment.

“It felt great to drive it here at Fiorano today, sharing the experience with our tifosi and partners. We still have to wait for the first real laps at testing to make any real assessments though.

“Our target for the season will be to do even better than last season, bring home more victories and be more consistent. The biggest goal will be to win both championships and we will do everything to achieve this,” he concluded.

Sainz reflects on his third Ferrari launch event

Sainz commented: “Having the chance to unveil the car in front of our tifosi has been great as this is my first launch event in front of an audience since I joined the Scuderia.

“I would like to thank everyone who has joined us on such a special day, both here and online around the world,” the Spaniard added.

“This car is the result of the passion and hard work of everyone in the team during the past months and it certainly looks like another step forward. Our goal cannot be other than to keep pushing forward and trying to bring home more race wins, being competitive and fighting for the World Championships.

“I can’t wait to hit the track in Bahrain and get this new season going!” Sainz concluded.

Frédéric Vasseur: Objective is to win the Championship

Vasseur said: “Over the past five weeks, I have had the chance to get to know many members of our team. We have a great group of people here and it is clear that motivation is high throughout the team.

Today we launch our 2023 contender together with our partners and tifosi, and I am very pleased with how the car looks,” he added. “I love the red colour and the ‘Effe Lunga’ that spans across the rear wing, reminding us of our heritage.

“Our focus will soon shift to another aspect, which is its speed and performance. We have two talented drivers who are both eager to win and have the skills needed to achieve this.

“Our objective is to win the championship,” Vasseur declared, “which will not be an easy task as our competitors will have exactly the same target in mind.

“We have to bring the right mindset with us and always work on being better tomorrow than we are today,” the Frenchman concluded.