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Former Formula 1 driver Timo Glock has labeled Ferrari as the biggest disappointment of the 2023 F1 season.
Ferrari began the season with a renewed send of belief, led by new team principal Frederic Vasseur. Unlike last year, when their strong early-season form wore out as the campaign progressed, they hoped to perform consistently and challenge Red Bull Racing for the drivers' and constructors' championships.
However, this season hasn't gone as expected for the team. They are fourth in the constructors' standings, with drivers Carlos Sainz (fifth) and Charles Leclerc (10th) already off the pace in the drivers' standings.
At the 2023 Australian Grand Prix, a late penalty saw Sainz finish 12th while Leclerc retired on the opening lap after making contact with Lance Stroll. Glock, who raced for Jordan, Toyota, Virgin Racing and Marussia in F1, has criticized Ferrari following a point-less event in Melbourne.
In his column for Sky Sports Deutschland, he said (via motorsportweek):
“For me, Ferrari is the absolute disappointment of the season. In terms of pace, the red team are not getting anything together. Charles Leclerc shows that after a bad qualifying, the risk of being involved in an accident in the turmoil is high.”
He added:
“Carlos Sainz had good pace in the meantime and showed strong overtaking manoeuvres. The penalty at the end was unfortunate, but justified. It was certainly not the start to the season that Ferrari had hoped for, that we had hoped for.
“Now it’s up to Frederic Vasseur to quickly set a new direction and get the team back on track.”
Ferrari boss sees silver lining despite disaster Melbourne weekend
Despite a disastrous weekend for Ferrari in Australia, team principal Frederic Vasseur saw a silver lining in the SF23's performance at Albert Park. He believes that they found the ideal balance of the car without bringing in any big aerodynamic upgrades.
Vasseur said (via SoyMotor):
"We haven't brought any big aerodynamic upgrades regarding Jeddah. The question was to find the ideal balance of the car. I think in Melbourne we did it, the SF-23 was much easier to manage, much more consistent throughout the race."
Ferrari will hope for an improved showing in the Azerbaijan GP at the end of this month.
