The Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc addressed the challenges he encountered during the current 2023 season. He spoke bluntly about how upset he felt with the team’s performance despite their ambitious goals. Given that, there has been news that the Ferrari team has been trying to sign out Pierre Waché, the chief engineer who worked towards the construction of the promising RB19 car that Red Bull used to win every single race of the season.
According to recent rumors, Pierre Wachè is set to have his contract expanded through 2028. However, Scuderia Ferrari is not giving up and is exploring other options to bolster their technical team, with Laurent Mekies as a potential tool in their strategy. Ferrari attempted to lure Wachè and Enrico Balbo away from Red Bull, but their efforts were futile. Nonetheless, the relationship between Mekies and Red Bull seems to be strengthening.
🚨 There is currently no question of Pierre Waché’s departure from Red Bull.
He was (and still is) in the interest of Ferrari, but has told Red Bull that he will stay.
According to insiders, Waché is the brains behind the successful RB19 👀
[@ErikvHaren] #F1 pic.twitter.com/WqygI83AT2
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) August 4, 2023
Wachè has been part of the Milton Keynes-based team since 2013, initially serving as the chief and performance engineer until becoming the technical director in 2018. The engineer has been a distinguished part of Red Bull and has been the catalyst behind creating winning cars like the RB16B, RB18, and the present RB19. But Ferrari’s efforts to get Wachè may have hit a dead end.
What is Ferrari doing wrong?
The Italian company was having trouble keeping up with competitors like Mercedes and Aston Martin in their battle for second place in the championship, despite a promising preseason test. Even after introducing upgrades, the race pace of Ferrari cars remained inadequate. According to reports, the team wants to rethink its existing strategy and construct its car from scratch, dismissing Leclerc’s goal to enhance the SF-23 this season.
Throwback to Pierro Ferrari forgetting there is a 2nd car racing in Bahrain when Charles DNF pic.twitter.com/IDM2SxDnPo
— Q. (@leclercstyre) August 3, 2023
Ferrari had anticipated a similar start in 2023 after entering the season in 2022 with a competitive car that could contend with and possibly beat Red Bull. However, both Charles Leclerc and his teammate Carlos Sainz have found the SF-23 to be frustrating. Despite his individual standing at P5 in the driver standings with 99 points, he is well aware of the substantial lead over Max Verstappen.
Scuderia Ferrari is expected to move away from the ‘belly-pit’ sidepod style and line up the aerodynamic design of the Ferrari with that of the RB19. While many teams might be tempted to use Red Bull’s successful 2023 car as a model, it’s anticipated that Ferrari will resort to more creative design choices to set itself apart and steer beyond creating cars that are inferior copies of the rival’s car. Ferrari continues in their attempt at progress in the face of hurdles.