Charles Leclerc & Co’s Optimism Brutally Cut Short as Ferrari’s Achilles Heel Set to Trouble Them Despite the Awaited Update

Before the start of the 2023 season, Ferrari was among the most confident teams on the grid. However, the confidence was soon shattered after the testing in Bahrain. The following races also revealed more holes in the SF-23 challenger. Now, seven races later, the rat race among the teams has begun as they all start introducing upgrade packages. A hopeful Ferrari introduced their upgrades in Spain to boost the chances for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. However, Barcelona was full of disappointment for both. The reason? Jock Clear, the senior performance engineer, has revealed the team’s Achilles heel.

During his conversation with Motorsport, the British engineer working for the Italian team talked about a nagging problem. The nagging problem is the SF-23’s unpredictable behavior with a subtle change in conditions. This nagging problem might be addressed in the coming races. However, for now, the pilots will suffer during the races until the aerodynamics package is introduced.

“This [package] does not he made a difference of half a second or seven-tenths. It’s about two or three-tenths at most,” said Clear. “It was our Achilles heel. It’s a bit more complete change than in the past, where we tried to make the car a bit easier [for the drivers]. This is an update that has brought more air towards the rear of the car in aerodynamic terms. But by doing so, it also made the car a little less sensitive to wind and things like that.” (Translated by Google)

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However, despite the disappointing result from Barcelona, there is a sense of optimism in the team.

Despite the disappointment for Charles Leclerc and Co. in Barcelona, there is one positive outcome

Leclerc and Sainz might’ve finished the race in undesirable positions in Barcelona. However, despite that, the team back in Maranello is drawing positives from the race. Especially because of the extremely punishing aspect of the Barcelona track.

“But the good thing is that it’s two-tenths to Barcelona, ​​and Barcelona is a circuit that really exposes a car’s weaknesses. You can’t come to Barcelona and hide away. That’s the real positive, we came here and we made the update work in one of the most demanding circuits arguably,” said Clear. 

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There might still be a lot of uncertainty in the Ferrari garage. However, there two things are for sure, Leclerc’s a perfect fit for the team, and a positive change is inevitable.