Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur says reliability at the outset is an absolute priority for the Italian outfit to start its 2023 campaign on the right foot.
Ferrari has prepared as best as possible for pre-season testing, putting its new SF-23 through its paces in the virtual world but also on the dyno.
But only its performance on the track will provide the team with a full-scale true picture of where it stands, not only relative to its rivals but also in terms of its own expectations and projections.
However, for Vasseur, it all starts with rock solid reliability.
© Ferrari
"I see the priority for everybody is the reliability because that's where you are at this stage of the season," the Frenchman told the media on Tuesday, after the unveiling of the Scuderia's new contender at Fiorano.
"If you don't have the reliability, then you are not able to do these three days [of pre-season testing in Bahrain] and then you start on the wrong foot.
"We have done the mileage we needed to do on the dyno and we are all optimistic, but only Bahrain will tell is where we are in terms of engine performance. So far it is ok."
Vasseur took the reins of the Scuderia about a month ago, and needless to say the former Sauber-Alfa Romeo F1 boss was handed a very heavy workload that involved both an analysis of last year's campaign and preparations for this season's title bid.
"The vision that you have for the team, when you are outside of the team, is always a bit different," he said.
"It has been a very short notice for me, and I have spent the past four weeks trying to understand exactly what's happened in the team and what happened last year, but I won't draw any conclusions before the first event.
"It’s intense, as you can imagine. You can feel the responsibility for the team; it’s a great honour.
"But at the end of the day, I think the most important is to be successful – we will have to deliver. I don’t want to be very happy because I am at Ferrari. The most important is to win and the challenge is in front of us."
Vasseur paid tribute to his new team, praising Ferrari's crews for their effort that also reflected their pride in a job well done.
"We put so much effort – honestly not myself, I joined too late, my contribution is very small on this one – but I can perfectly feel the work done on the car and now it will be a new journey for the project because the car will move to the race team," he said.
"It’s a great feeling, it’s like when you are back on track, it’s like when you’re back at school, and I can feel that everybody’s very proud of the job done. And this feeling is very important for the motivation of everybody and for the season.
"It will be a quite long season, but the motivation is there and it’s crucial in terms of performance."
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