How the Ferrari drivers have no confidence with the 2023 car

It has not been the best start to the season for Ferrari with just one podium in four races for the legendary F1 team.

Ferrari has not gotten off to the best season in its prestigious history with just one podium and two DNF's out of the first five races the Maranello team are looking for answers. The Miami Grand Prix highlighted just how much the car needs to be improved. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz has said that the car is "unpredictable" with an ever shifting balance.

During qualifying in Miami, Leclerc had his second crash of the weekend in the long left hander of turns 6,7 and 8. His Ferrari had suddenly let go as he was coming off the kerb spinning across the runoff and into the barrier with just over 90 seconds left in Q3, he ended the session due to a red flag. In the press afterwards he claimed that the car is very sensitive and the balance can shift through a lap.

Carlos Sainz also reported a ever shifting balance in the car after the race on Sunday. Both drivers are not happy how in one corner the car can have so much understeer and the corner straight after has so much oversteer. Along with balance issues the car looks to be very sensitive to wind direction and changes.

Ferrari had also brought an update floor design and revised geometry on the rear of the car for Miami which aimed to make the car more "benign". Both Leclerc and Sainz claimed that the new upgrade package had "zero flexibility" making it impossible for the drivers to manage their tyres.

The team's top priority is to still make the SF-23 more "predictable". Drivers did report on Friday in Florida that the car was less "spikey" and with more updates on the way for the Emilia-Romagna and Spanish Grand Prix's the Scuderia is looking to quickly change their fortunes around.

When talking to motorsport.com, Jock Clear said “With a new aero package over the winter, we've taken a while to find the set-up. This floor contributes to getting the car in a better window, as the drivers were reporting earlier it is peaky. We need to get rid of some of that peakiness. That's probably the main focus at the moment, to make the car a bit more benign so the drivers have a bit more confidence.”