SoulPancake13 wrote: ↑05 Mar 2023, 20:46
I am really just shocked by the lack of downforce. First half of last season, the car was incredible in the corner, sure some straight line speed deficiencies but it was managed somewhat well. Now the car is the best(by a small margin) in the straight but reliability not fixed, less grip in the corner, and the same tyre deg. If I was Leclerc, I'd start looking at options elsewhere, which pains me to say because Charles bleeds Ferrari and has always been with the team since his junior days.
Let's not kid ourselves here. We came into this weekend knowing we were compromised. We left the first day of testing already knowing there was an issue with the front of the car. The more loaded RrWg could've helped with rear tyre degradation had it been available, unfortunately they didn't even have the option. 3 weeks of testing and setup fine tuning wouldn't of put us on terms with Red Bull, with the issues we were facing. Tyre degradation is a product of the balance issues we faced.
I believe the issues mentioned above will be resolved in the short term.
The reliability issues should be the biggest concern as this was probably the main focus point at Maranello over the winter. But I won't jump to any conclusions since the severity of the situation is not yet known.
Recovering will not be a problem in my eyes. Challenging a very clinical Red Bull with a points deficit will be. Every race will require 100% execution and a very aggressive development plan.
I will not comment on the Leclerc situation to avoid side tracking.