Each year, some team brings out a strange and controversial component that catches everyone’s attention. Last year, it was Mercedes’s zeropod concept, whereas this year, it seemed it was the turn of Ferrari as their slot gap separator front wing attracted a lot of attention. But why was the 2023 challenger’s design controversial?

Last year, the FIA forced Mercedes to drop their front-wing separator design because it violated a requirement that they must be there “mainly” for mechanical, structural, or measuring purposes. However, this year, carrying a similar idea, they have allowed Ferrari to compete as the seasoned boss Frederic Vasseur utilized the grey area around the regulation, which forced Mercedes to take another route to avoid legal ramifications. The regulatory shift over the winter allowed the team to proceed with the design and also got them a green signal from the FIA.

Speaking about the issue and settling the debate once and for all, Fred Vasseur, as quoted by Motorsport, said, “When we launched the car with this kind of parts, we were sure to have a discussion with the FIA. For them, it was crystal clear that it was okay. The emotion of the other teams, I don’t care. It’s the game of F1,” he explained. “Each year at test one you have this story about a winglet or this one [car part]. In one week’s time, we will talk about something else.”

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The preseason testing ended fairly well for Ferrari, with them still appearing to be in a position to compete against Red Bull. Will the new wing give them wings against Red Bull? We shall find out soon.

Ferrari is content with their performance

With Red Bull emerging as the season’s favorite after nearly flawless runs across three days, Ferrari has a lot of work to do over the course of the season. But despite the gap that stands between the two teams, Ferrari expressed their satisfaction with the car’s performance.

Fred Vasseur, as quoted by RacingNews365, said, “I think overall the car looks okay performance wise, but we don’t know about the level of fuel for the others so it’s always a bit tricky,” as he stayed on the side of caution so as not to get ahead of him.

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He added, “Reliability was okay. So far, we cover good mileage. We tick the box of what we have to scan, and this was the best approach.”

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Overall, after the preseason testing, things are looking good at Ferrari as they prepare their drivers for the championship. But a larger challenge for the team would be to not commit the same mistakes it did last year.