Ferrari has taken the covers off its new SF-23 that will challenge for the 2023 Formula World Championship with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
The Scuderia's new war horse was unveiled in Maranello on Tuesday, and immediately took to the track at Fiorano with Leclerc at the wheel, much to the pleasure of the Tifosi standing trackside.
In itself, Ferrari's presentation was an impressive PR effort by the team.
At first glance, the SF-23 appears to share the same concept as its predecessor. However, the new car's sidepod, that was deemed very innovative last season, appears to tuck inside in its lateral section compared to last year's design.
Revamped cooling louvres are also part of the visible changes as well as the presence of slot gap brackets on the SF-23's front wing.
Last year, Ferrari hit the ground running, with Leclerc putting himself in contention for the title before the team's challenge waned in the second part of its campaign.
Ferrari nevertheless won four races, with Sainz collecting his maiden F1 win at Silverstone.
At the end of the 2022 season, Ferrari's top brass elected to shake up the Scuderia's management, with team boss Mattia Binotto handing in his resignation and replaced by former Alfa Romeo team principal Frédéric Vasseur.
The Frenchman is facing a big challenge, but Vasseur's no nonsense approach and reputation for efficiency may be just what Ferrari needs to finally bring the title back to Maranello after a 14-year drought.
Leclerc was in action for just two laps - to qualify the run as a restricted "demo event" in conformity with F1's regulations - but that enough to work the Tifosi into a frenzy, and the Monegasque was delighted with his short outing.
"It feels good," said Leclerc. "I mean the first kilometres with this new project after doing so many kilometres on the simulator, it feels special. So everything went smoothly.
"Obviously with two laps it's difficult to go into details but I already gave my feedback once I was in the car there to the engineers to get the first feeling. The car was running well, smooth, so yeah, everything went really well."
The @ScuderiaFerrari SF-23 makes its debut on-track at Fiorano, with @Charles_Leclerc behind the wheel! 😍
What a way to make an entrance ✨#F1 @Carlossainz55 pic.twitter.com/QdJYWFAe0R
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 14, 2023
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