Although ultimately Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc could do little to stop Red Bull roaring to another 1-2 finish, that they were at least able to battle wheel-to-wheel with F1’s current benchmark squad was something to be proud of after a 2023 campaign that has had its fair share of frustrations.
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But while Ferrari has returned to its Maranello base this week boosted by an emotional weekend in front of the delighted tifosi, there remains a great deal of intrigue about just what its Italian GP showing means going forward.
And the key question really is whether Ferrari’s home showing was simply the result of having thrown the kitchen sink at shining on home turf, or whether it marked something more significant in its quest to make progress with its SF-23.
There is no denying that Ferrari pulled out all the stops for Monza.
While Red Bull steered clear of introducing a brand-new wing package for the ultra low-downforce track and opted for just a trimmed-out upper flap, Ferrari ran a bespoke Monza wing with a much flatter mainplane than teams would ordinarily choose with the current generation of cars.
It also elected to introduce brand new power units for the weekend – knowing full well that fresh engines always deliver a bit more oomph.
There were even whispers in the paddock that Ferrari had done the equivalent of turning them up to 11 in a bid to squeeze every last bit of horsepower out of them – but this was something Vasseur denied. “We didn't take more risks than Zandvoort,” he said.
The end result was Ferrari’s most competitive outing of the year, as the squad maximised the opportunity thrown at it that the SF-23 seems to be much more competitive at the lower downforce venues.
Source: Autosport