Ferrari introduces their SF-23 to the world ahead of the 2023 F1 season

In rather fitting fashion, Scuderia Ferrari unveiled their SF-23 on Tuesday ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Valentine’s Day.

Ferrari’s car for the 2023 season has many of the same livery features from last season — spots of bare carbon fiber including on the front and rear wings, along with the distinctive matte red — but some aerodynamic tweaks that may be notable in the year ahead:

At a live launch ceremony held at their factory in Maranello, the team debuted their car for the 2023 campaign, the SF-23, and immediately took it to the track for one of their filming days, with driver Charles Leclerc getting the honors of taking the SF-23 for the first few laps. Teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. will get a chance behind the wheel later on Tuesday.

After climbing out of the cockpit, Leclerc spoke to the legions of fans watching from the grandstand:

“It’s amazing to have a grandstand in Fiorano with all the tifosi here. There are also loads of tifosi up at the bridge. It is very, very special to see all the support on a day like this.

“I don’t think it happens to any other teams and that’s why it’s so special. Thanks to all the tifosi around the world that are helping us and pushing us in the good moments, but especially in the bad moments too. I really hope that this season will be an amazing one.”

Incoming Team Principal Frederic Vasseur, replacing Mattia Binotto, spoke about both the SF-23, and his high expectations for the 2023 season:

“I am very pleased with how the car looks. I love the red colour and the ‘Effe Lunga’ that spans across the rear wing, reminding us of our heritage.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,” he added. “We have to bring the right mindset with us and always work on being better tomorrow than we are today.”

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna declared the SF-23 a “single-seater that will be unprecedented in terms of speed.”

As far as the differences between the SF-23 and last year’s model, Ferrari’s F1-75, according to Ferrari the main differences lie in the suspension. But there are some noticeable tweaks, including with the front wing and the curvature to the sidepods.

Ferrari’s head of chassis Enrico Cardile called the SF-23 an “evolution” of the F1-75, but stated as well that the SF-23 “has been completely redesigned.”

He elaborated on the changes from the F1-75:

“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.”

Ferrari is now the eighth team to showcase their look for the 2023 F1 season, following Haas, Red Bull, Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri, Williams, Aston Martin, and McLaren. Only two teams are left: Mercedes on Wednesday, and Alpine on Thursday.