Ferrari has officially launched its 2023 F1 season with the unveil of its new car and livery under new team boss.
With the launches happening thick and fast, Ferrari is the latest to kick-start their 2023 F1 season with the unveil of SF-23 at Maranello in the presence of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz alongside new team boss Frederic Vasseur and about 500 fans.
After an up and down 2022 F1 season, Ferrari will look to put up a better challenge against Red Bull and keep Mercedes at bay. As has been the case for several seasons, the Italian manufacturer retained its corporate red colour.
Having used ‘Ferrari’ on its rear wing during its special Monza weekend, the team decided to keep it full-time this year in place of a ‘sponsor’ or leaving it empty. The special launch event ended with a mini filming run for the Italian outfit.
Leclerc was first to get the chance in the SF-23 and he straight up felt good and confident. Unlike other launches this year, Ferrari put in a show for the whole world and fans at Maranello as they witnessed the 2023 car in action at Fiorano.
The feed ended after Leclerc’s run with Sainz to follow next during the course of the day. This was not the proper filming day where they have 100 km, this one was the 15 km demo run tat F1 teams have in their kitty.
“Our whole team has put a lot of work into this new car and seeing it in front of us for the first time just feels amazing,” said Leclerc. ”It means that the start of the season is very close, which is always an exciting moment. It felt great to drive it here at Fiorano today, sharing the experience with our tifosi and partners.
“We still have to wait for the first real laps at testing to make any real assessments though. Our target for the season will be to do even better than last season, bring home more victories and be more consistent. The biggest goal will be to win both championships and we will do everything to achieve this.“
At the same time, Sainz noted: “Having the chance to unveil the car in front of our tifosi has been great as this is my first launch event in front of an audience since I joined the Scuderia. I would like to thank everyone who has joined us on such a special day, both here and online around the world.
“This car is the result of the passion and hard work of everyone in the team during the past months and it certainly looks like another step forward. Our goal cannot be other than to keep pushing forward and trying to bring home more race wins, being competitive and fighting for the World Championships. I can’t wait to hit the track in Bahrain and get this new season going!”
On the team side, new boss Vasseur stated: “Over the past five weeks, I have had the chance to get to know many members of our team. We have a great group of people here and it is clear that motivation is high throughout the team. Today we launch our 2023 contender together with our partners and tifosi, and I am very pleased with how the car looks.
“I love the red colour and the ‘Effe Lunga’ that spans across the rear wing, reminding us of our heritage. Our focus will soon shift to another aspect, which is its speed and performance. We have two talented drivers who are both eager to win and have the skills needed to achieve this. Our objective is to win the championship, which will not be an easy task as our competitors will have exactly the same target in mind. We have to bring the right mindset with us and always work on being better tomorrow than we are today.”
The SF-23 hits the track! 😍
Meet @Charles_Leclerc and @Carlossainz55's ride for 2023 🤩#F1 @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/URBJomWADi
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 14, 2023
Meet SF-23, #Tifosi!
Introducing our 2023 challenger 🏎 #SF23 pic.twitter.com/O9uNS7mAIC
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 14, 2023
More to come
F1 2023 launches: