F1: Ferrari now ‘understands’ upgraded 2023 car

(GMM) An investigation into Charles Leclerc’s uncompetitive Ferrari found no significant problems with the upgraded car, according to Italian media sources.

Although the Monegasque driver qualified second to last with the ‘B’ Ferrari in Barcelona and suspected a fundamental flaw, senior Ferrari engineer Jock Clear says Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s car is actually an improvement.

But he warned: “The package did not make a difference of half a second or seven tenths, as it was said. It’s around two or three tenths maximum,” Clear is quoted by Marca sports newspaper.

Sainz fared significantly better than Leclerc in Spain – qualifying second and finishing fifth.

“The good thing is that it’s two tenths in Barcelona, and that’s a track that really exposes the weaknesses of a car,” Clear said. “You can’t go to Barcelona and hide.

“So that’s the really positive thing – we went and got the upgrade job done on one of the more demanding circuits.”

So while the investigation into Leclerc’s car reportedly netted no results, Clear said it’s obvious that the Ferrari upgrade was actually a success.

“Absolutely yes,” he insisted. “It was our Achilles heel,” Clear added, referring to the car’s handling problems.

But the really good news, he said, is that Ferrari now has a much better understanding about the source of the 2023 car’s problems.

“With the budget, we can’t afford to try something and now understand how it works. We understand why this (new) package works and we believe it has broken new ground for us.”

There are rumors Ferrari, like many of the other teams, will unveil another upgrade step at Silverstone.