Ferrari sets sights on 2023: 'Give us confidence going into next year'

Ferrari hopes to take a big step closer to the world title next season. To that end, the Italian formation is working hard behind the scenes on solutions. Senior performance engineer Jock Clear states in a conversation with The Race that the final phase of the current racing year will be crucial in this regard.

"All the teams are already looking very much at next year. And obviously we want to be as competitive, if not more so," Clear explained. "The moment these F1 cars stop running at the end of November, you’re back in the tunnel, you’re back in the simulator, but that’s not quite the same. So, we really need to maximise these last few races from the point of view of developing and bringing the car to another level."

As Max Verstappen secured the world title at the Japanese Grand Prix, the biggest pressure is off Ferrari. Mattia Binotto's team knows it needs to start focusing on 2023, when Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz should be able to compete more seriously.

Ferrari is working on two fronts

Meanwhile, Ferrari is in a duel. Mercedes and Ferrari are close together in the constructors' championship, allowing the Italians to fight for second place. At the same time, the racing stable wants to try things out to improve its performance next season.

"Yes, we know that the [constructors’] championship is a very long shot now but we’ve got to stay ahead of Mercedes, and so we’ll be happy to bring performance to do that. But we also want to just keep generating more and more organic development and that will give us confidence going into next year."