Imola weather triggers Ferrari upgrade delay with new destination suggested
Charles Leclerc climbs into his Ferrari onto the grid ahead of the race. Miami May 2023.
Ferrari had reportedly planned on introducing new rear suspension at Imola this weekend, though it has been claimed the weather forecast in itself postponed their plans even before the race was called off.
The Scuderia were heading into the first of their home races this season with a new upgrade package to be brought with them, with team principal Fred Vasseur confirming in Miami that new parts were set to be on their way to Imola with them.
But a report from Motorsport.com claims that the inclement weather forecast at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari had prompted the team to delay their upgrade plans before the weekend had even begun, so as to minimise risk to any new parts going on the car.
The cancellation of the race on Wednesday makes such a delay immaterial now, but Vasseur also confirmed when speaking to Sky Sports F1 in Miami that the next upgrade package the team would bring after Imola would come at the Spanish Grand Prix in early June, at the end of what was a planned triple-header of races, with nothing planned for Monaco in between.
Ferrari made changes to their floor and diffuser last time out in Miami, and they were one of several teams looking at bringing major upgrades with them to Imola prior to the cancellation of the race.
With the Scuderia appearing to focus on aerodynamics next in terms of car performance, their team boss was keen to stress that improvements would need to be found all over the SF-23, not just in one area.
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“I think it would be a mistake first to think that the performance is coming from a single pillar – the performance is coming from everywhere,” Vasseur told Sky Sports F1 in Miami.
“And on the top, if you have to duplicate something [from another team], it means that you are always late.
“Now with the cost cap and the fact that the car was almost frozen between two seasons, it’s quite impossible to copy someone.
“It means that we have to stick to our plan and to try to develop our platform.”
Formula 1 will not be going racing at Imola this weekend, with flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region devastating local towns and cities, with F1 teams and drivers lining up to support the decision to cancel the event.
