How Ferrari responded to a 2023 reality check amid its promising F1 revamp

Expectations were high following Fred Vasseur’s takeover as Maranello chief, but in 2023 Ferrari soon woke up to the reality of facing a transitional year

When Ferrari bravely launched its SF-23 challenger with a live installation run at Fiorano, the team declared its optimism over being able to fight for both world championships this year. That further fuelled the expectations of the ever-demanding tifosi. Much like the Real Madrids and FC Barcelonas of this world, failure is not an option for the Italian giant.

But Ferrari’s passionate fans were in for a rude awakening at the opening round in Bahrain when that optimism proved misplaced. Rather than fighting for titles, Ferrari ended up narrowly losing out to Mercedes for second place after a rollercoaster 2023 season for both squads.

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Author Filip Cleeren

After concluding his journalism studies in 2011 Filip decided to take the hard way and become a freelance motorsports writer, which took him on a nomadic 50-country journey from Indianapolis to Le Mans and from Melbourne's Albert Park to the Dakar in Argentina. Filip first started contributing to Motorsport.com in the summer of 2015, helping to establish the Dutch language edition and regularly contributing to the global edition. Born and raised in Belgium and now settled in Barcelona, Spain, Filip actively covers the FIA WEC, F1 and other major series around the world in addition to his news editing duties, having transitioned fully to the global edition in February 2021.