Ferrari will soon lavish the SF-23 with performance-finding upgrades. But for now, after a dismal start to the campaign, set-up tweaks alone have allowed the team to take a marked step forward in Australia and this weekend again in Azerbaijan. As proof, lead charge Charles Leclerc used the revised format for sprint race rounds to snare two pole positions across Friday and Saturday in Baku.
However, the Monegasque was knocked out of top spot after less than half distance of the shortened Saturday race. Sergio Perez added to his run of street track success by pouncing for victory with the aid of DRS. That Leclerc gave the Mexican and easier run, choosing not to fight the Red Bull before falling close to 5s adrift come the chequered flag underlines a clear weakness over a race stint.
How Leclerc bagged two pole positions in one weekend
Both of Leclerc’s pole laps are, unsurprisingly, very similar. For the run into Turn 1, the Ferrari begins to fall behind the Red Bulls as speeds head north of 205mph. Max Verstappen (on Friday) then Sergio Perez (on Saturday) arrive at the first corner in front. But Leclerc is able to fight back with the burst of acceleration for the sprint to Turn 2, even if he can’t match either RB19 for apex speed.
The acceleration of the SF-23 again comes up trumps for the remainder of the opening sector to ensure that there’s little to split the trio for Turns 3 to 7. Then, even if the Red Bulls are the kings of the tight castle section, neither can match Leclerc from the Turn 12 left-hander for the downhill run to the final corner. The only blemish for the red car is a slower apex speed through the tricky off-camber Turn 15 left-hander.
Then, for the longest full-throttle section on the F1 calendar, Leclerc benefits from the Ferrari’s acceleration once more. He cannot be matched for the pull between 90mph and 195mph before the potent Red Bulls finally hit their V-max to find an eventual 6mph advantage.
Why Leclerc was right not to fight Perez in the sprint race
A strong launch in the sprint race left Leclerc unchallenged into Turn 1. He then dictated the safety car restart - prompted by AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda shedding his right-rear Pirelli - to retain control. But when the DRS was activated at the end of lap seven of 17, he very soon appeared powerless to resist Sergio Perez. Despite the DRS zone on the main straight being cut by 100 metres for 2023, the Red Bull driver could still pull cleanly into the lead before the braking zone into the first corner.
Leclerc said he deliberately didn’t put up a fight: “I just wanted to try and keep my tyres alive”. But even if Max Verstappen, carrying damage to his left sidepod after lap-one contact with George Russell, couldn’t relegate the Ferrari any further, Leclerc still fell 4.463s adrift of Perez come the flag.
The Monegasque soon couldn’t keep within DRS range of the lead Red Bull to at least gain a powerful tow down the straights for the remainder. Instead, from lap 12 onwards, as Leclerc’s times deteriorated consistently each lap from a 1m43.646s to 1m45.515s, Perez barely wavered from a high 1m43s.
As the race ran without pitstops, the medium tyres on the Ferrari began to perish at a faster rate. The SF-23’s middle sector advantage shown in qualifying largely vanished as it became Perez's turn to conquer the run from Turns 13 to 15. Leclerc also suffered a marked drop off out of the final corner for the critical and protracted run to the flag as Perez could lean on the rubber to hit the throttle sooner to offset the acceleration imbalance.
Insight: How a hot, breezy Sunday afternoon could end Ferrari's hopes of a Baku F1 victory
The revised format for a sprint race weekend meant precious little long-run data for teams to use to predict tyre wear. But the inferior Ferrari management of the rubber, first exposed in 2023 by the anomalously abrasive asphalt in Bahrain, reared its ahead again to leave the Scuderia vulnerable.
