A start to forget
The start of the 2023 season reserved decidedly disappointing results for the Scuderia Ferrarias well as among the worst ever in the history of Red. The house from Maranello, after three races held, in fact occupies the fourth position in the constructors’ standings with only 26 points conquered, most of them by Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard, who finished 4th in Bahrain, subsequently finished in the points also in Saudi Arabia, however not going beyond 6th place. In the last race in Australia, the number 55 could have concretely reached the podium, but the accident that occurred with his compatriot Fernando Alonso at the second restart, and the much-contested 5-second penalty for the contact, caused him to slip to twelfth position .
Leclerc disaster
Worse it went to Charles Leclercnever so bad in the first three GPs of a season since wearing the Ferrari suit: the Monegasque had in fact raised the white flag in Bahrain due to a problem with the control unit, the same one that prompted the little horse to replace the latter in view of the appointment in Jeddah, with a penalty to be served on the starting grid. The 25-year-old’s comeback then ended with his arrival in 7th place and with the conquest of 6 pointsstill the only ones for the number 16 due to his retirement in Australia following a contact with Stroll at the third corner of the Melbourne circuit.
Vasseur believes in Charles
There is therefore bitterness for the Monegasque driver, who will try to take advantage of the break before the Azerbaijan GP to recharge his batteries in order to return to the positions that most suit him. The Ferrari Team Principal is also convinced of this Frederic Vasseurwho is certain of what Leclerc is feeling now: “I have no doubts about Charles’ motivation – has explained – he knows that the start of the season is certainly not the goal we had; the withdrawal in Bahrain, the penalty in Jeddah, and then another withdrawal in Melbourne. It certainly wasn’t in the plans, but the motivation is there. I have a good relationship with him, and I know it won’t affect the mood.”
The ‘positive’ signs
In addition, Vasseur focused on a positive aspect related to his drivers, who have expressed all their disappointment with the results obtained so far between qualifying and races: “Drivers often face interviews immediately after the conclusion of the race, and they definitely can’t be happy – he added – I would be very frustrated if they were relaxed and happy with the situation. The most important thing for me is to keep everyone motivated, pushing in the same direction and supporting the team. I know that motivation is not a problem at all. Obviously the results are not what we expected, but we all know that.”
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