Is Ferrari falling apart?

After a disappointing start to the 2023 season, things are not looking good at Ferrari since many changes are happening right now. Here's all you need to know about the chaotic situation storming the Scuderia.

It has been confirmed during the week after the Bahrain GP that David Sanchez, head of the aerodynamics at Ferrari, is set to leave the team and will be joining McLaren after a period of gardening leave. Sanchez was the chief of the SF-23 project. Therefore, it's not the best news for Ferrari to see him go just after one single race into the 2023 campaign.

Despite that, it is also important to trust the reconstructing process, which was initiated with the announcement of the new team principal, Frederic Vasseur, last year. Plus, it's also essential to put trust in the Frenchman, who needs time to prove whether his plan works or not. It is also obvious that if Ferrari decided to let Sanchez go, another person ready to cover that role should be already set to step in. Some say it could be Simone Resta or Aldo Costa, but Ferrari didn't release any statements yet.

Signs of change in the team could have already been seen ahead of the first race of the year, when Iñaki Rueda (former strategy director) was moved from the pit wall to the remote garage, being replaced by Ravin Jain. Vasseur probably decided to do so considering the disappointing strategy decisions made by the team last year.

Moreover, in the last few hours, rumors suggested that even Laurent Mekies (sporting director) might resign, too. However, this has been denied, with the Frenchman remaining at the Scuderia.

Important figures leaving the team is not something new at Ferrari, with significant names going away from Italian soil to go to England and work with the likes of Mercedes. An example could be James Allison.

Anyway, it seems that it is the entire system that is not working properly at Ferrari, and as a consequence, they fail to deliver the results they hoped for. Despite this, reconstructing the Scuderia at the beginning of the season might be a good idea in the long term, but only time will tell. What is sure, though, is that at the moment, they lack stability, and that does not help bring victories and decent performances.

Moreover, another issue that might go under the radar inside the wall of the Italian team is that Vasseur has less power than other team principals. His role is to overview and control the Scuderia on track, while it is Benedetto Vigna who is in charge of taking decisions off the track. Many believe that Ferrari should put more power in the team principal's hands, and even more, people hope that this tension between Vasseur and Vigna will be solved for the sake of the team.

Finally, the real thing that made all of the "Tifosi" even more concerned with this chaotic situation, was seeing Charles Leclerc asking to see John Elkann as he wanted clarifications on the matter. The Monégasque probably just wanted to be reassured after a difficult start to the season, with his retirement due to engine issues at the Bahrain Grand Prix in mind.

Nevertheless, Ferrari seems to have a steep mountain to climb at the moment. However, the fast layout of Jeddah, which should suit the SF-23 better, might help them to cheer up a bit in less than a week.