ITALY: Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, has confirmed that the team will not bring upgrades for the SF-23 to the Baku Grand Prix this weekend.
However, the team will have a “flow of updates” coming soon as they strive to improve their performance in the coming races.
The team has not had a podium finish in any of the first three races this season, with Charles Leclerc retiring twice and Carlos Sainz losing a P4 finish due to a time penalty in Australia.
The poor run has left the team trailing behind in the constructors’ championship, 97 points behind leaders Red Bull and 30 behind third-placed Mercedes after only three rounds.
Vasseur has also ruled out the possibility of the team running a complete concept change this year, opting to “massively” upgrade what they already have.
The team has a busy schedule ahead, with five races in six weeks, and Vasseur has assured that the car will have upgrades brought to it at most of the rounds during this time.
However, due to the added risk of Baku being a street circuit and hosting a Sprint event, Ferrari has chosen not to bring upgrades to the car for this particular race.
Vasseur believes that the team has a strong aerodynamic package in place to meet the aerodynamic demands of the high-speed Baku City Circuit.
He stated that each race would have an update on the car, except for Monaco, with the team sticking to the plan but making some adjustments in balance and behaviour.
Vasseur thinks that a wholesale change in the car concept would be the wrong thing to do for multiple reasons, including the financial constraints imposed by Formula 1’s cost cap.
He believes that the team still has room for improvement on the current car and that it makes sense to push in this direction as long as they can develop the car, get points on the aero, and achieve better balance and stability.
Ferrari fans hope that the promised “flow of updates” will bring the improvements the team needs to catch up with their rivals in the Constructors’ Championship.
With a hectic schedule ahead, the team has made the most of its opportunities to score points and climb up the standings.
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