Ferrari have been told they face a long road to recovery after making one of their worst starts to a Formula 1 season in recent memory.
A slow start is, in some ways, understandable. After all, Mattia Binotto's departure as team principal and the appointment of Frederic Vasseur to replace him was always going to lead to a settling-in period for the new chief, as he adapts to the way his staff work and vice-versa.
Despite that, all the pre-season noises coming out of Maranello were resoundingly positive. Talk of an extra 30bhp on their new car might have been augmented by fantasy, but everyone who claimed to be in the know was very hopeful about what the SF-23 might achieve on track.
