With the season opening 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix now in the rear-view mirrors, Formula One had a rest period this week to prepare for the next race in Saudi Arabia this upcoming weekend. However, some news did come out of the Ferrari and McLaren camps this week.
Ferrari’s head of vehicle concept resigned. David Sanchez has been with the team for 10 years, leaving McLaren in 2012 to take a job as principal aerodynamicist. By 2016, he had worked his way up to chief aerodynamicist before being promoted to the head of vehicle concept in 2019. It’s rumoured that he will be joining a UK-based team (believed to be McLaren), but will first need to complete a period of gardening leave. No replacement at Ferrari has been announced and it’s believed the team will shuffle personnel internally.
Ferrari insists the deficit to Red Bull comes down to set-up, not the design of the car. This is despite the team’s disappointing performance in the Bahrain Grand Prix, in which they failed to secure a podium finish and only Carlos Sainz completed the race distance. With some fans already crowning Max Verstappen as the World Champion this season, Ferrari believes their car concept has the potential to challenge Red Bull in 2023.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella offered some insight into the team’s technical gremlins in the Bahrain Grand Prix. According to Stella, Oscar Piastri’s car developed an electrical fault. The team attempted to fix the issue by replacing the steering wheel, which was unsuccessful because the fault was located in the steering column. A pneumatic pressure leak was detected on Lando Norris’ on the first lap, requiring him to pit to have the system refilled every 10 laps. The team kept Norris in the race to compensate for the lack of data collection achieved in their limited pre-season testing.
McLaren plans to begin using their newly constructed wind tunnel in June. The construction of the tunnel, which was delayed heavily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but has been completed. The team is now waiting to calibrate the sensors before it can be used. Previously, the team has been renting a Toyota tunnel in Germany. Having an on-site wind tunnel should allow the team to make quicker developments.
Another team that struggled in the Bahrain Grand Prix was Mercedes, with their performance gap to Red Bull increasing once again this season. George Russell has expressed interest in sacrificing part of this 2023 season in exchange for long-term gains. The team has hinted at making large conceptual changes with the car, which could hinder their season but may make them more competitive in the seasons ahead.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
