By Robert Haile

The Ferrari team came close to winning their first championship in fifteen years and will hope to have unveiled a car the Tifosi will fall in love with.

At the teams Fiorano track 500 fans filled a specially erected stand for the launch, the first in two years not to be virtual.

Before the launch, the drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz went to greet the crowd which included many members of the various Scuderia Ferrari Clubs and students from Muner, the Motorvehicle University of Emilia-Romagna, and some from the Alfredo Ferrari Higher Education Institute, along with their teachers.

Enrico Cardile, Head of Chassis Area explained how the car is different to the 2022 version.

Cardile said: “Our 2023 car is an evolution of the one we raced last year, but in reality, it has been completely redesigned.

“On the aerodynamic side, we increased vertical downforce, to adapt further to the new aero regulations and achieve the desired balance characteristics.

“The suspension has also been redesigned, to support aerodynamics and increase the range of adjustments that can be made to the car at the track.

“The most obvious changes are in the area of the front suspension where we have moved to a low track rod.

“The front wing is also different, as is the construction of the nose, while the bodywork is a more extreme version of what we saw last season.”

In a change to the other team launches the SF23 would take to the track with Charles Leclerc winning the toss and driving the car first with Carlos Sainz getting behind the wheel later.

Leclerc speaking about the drive said: “It felt great to drive it here at Fiorano today, sharing the experience with our tifosi and partners. We still have to wait for the first real laps at testing to make any real assessments though.”

New Team Principal, Frédéric Vasseur, will have the Prancing Horse fans intrigued stating: “Our objective is to win the championship, which will not be an easy task as our competitors will have exactly the same target in mind.

“We have to bring the right mindset with us and always work on being better tomorrow than we are today.”

Will Leclerc or Sainz be World Champion at the end of the 23 race season and end the 16 year wait for the title?

More will be revealed in Bahrain on March 5.