Ferrari reveal 2023 F1 car and livery at launch in Maranello - live updates

Ferrari unveiled their 2023 Formula 1 car - the SF-23 - at a spectacular launch event at their base in Maranello in front of 500 Tifosi fans.

The Scuderia, whose title challenge in 2022 was undone by reliability problems and strategic errors as Red Bull cruised to double title glory, have a new team principal at the helm this year with former Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur replacing Mattia Binotto.

Vasseur was present at the reveal on Tuesday morning, alongside drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, as the car design was unveiled before the SF-23 was driven around the Circuit de Fiorano by first Leclerc, and then Sainz.

With Ferrari this year emblazoned on the rear wing, the livery design is not altogether dissimilar to last year’s design, though the car will have an adapted ride height as a result of a slight tweak in the technical regulations.

“I can’t wait for the new season, 2022 was a good step forward compared to two difficult years before,” Leclerc said.

Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali implored the sport will “never put a gag on anyone” in wake of the FIA’s ban on drivers making political statements.

The FIA updated their international sporting code in the off-season to implement a regulation stating that drivers will be in breach of the rulebook if they make “political, religious or personal” statements without prior approval from F1’s governing body.

The likes of Lewis Hamilton and the recently retired Sebastian Vettel have regularly spoken out on matters such as racial inequality, minority rights and climate change and this new rule seems to be a clampdown on their ability to highlight issues close to their heart.

Max Verstappen also labelled the rule “unnecessary” at Red Bull’s car launch last week while Williams driver Alex Albon stated this week the regulation was “somewhat confusing” and urged “clarity” to be brought to the table.

While Domenicali believed the FIA would indeed provide further details in the near future, the ex-Ferrari chief insisted that the sport was eager to encourage drivers raising important political issues.

“F1 will never put a gag on anyone,” he told The Guardian. “Everyone wants to talk so to have the platform to say what they want in the right way the better it is. We have a huge opportunity because of the position of our sport which is more and more global, multicultural and multivalued.

“We are talking about 20 drivers, 10 teams and many sponsors, they have different ideas, different views. I cannot say one is right, one is wrong but it is right, if needed, to give them a platform to discuss their opinions in an open way.”

Fernando Alonso has voiced his displeasure at the lack of testing time available to drivers ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

The two-time world champion was speaking at the launch of Aston Martinn’s 2023 car at Silverstone on Monday night, with team-mate Lance Stroll also present.

Alonso, who joins Aston from Alpine following Sebastian Vettel’s retirement, does not have long to acclimatise to his new team, with next week’s three day testing window meaning the 41-year-old will have just one day-and-a-half to trial the new car.

The first race of the 2023 season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place a week later.

“It is a little bit unfair”, he told a group of journalists on Monday.

“This is the only sport in the world where you do one-and-a-half days practice and then you’re into a World Championship.”

While Alonso insisted he was keeping his “feet on the ground” this season, he did not rule out that his ultimate goal in his final years in the sport were to claim a third World Championship.

Lando Norris believes it is paramount for F1 drivers to have “freedom of speech” following a controversial FIA rule implemented in the off-season.

The new international sporting code states that the sport’s stars could be in breach if they make a “political or religious statement” without prior approval from the sport’s governing body.

Norris, who has been open on topics such as mental health in the past, echoed the voices of many drivers in his reponse to the new regulation.

“I think it’s important it’s clear as drivers that we can still voice our opinions,” the 23-year-old McLaren driver said at his team’s 2023 car launch event on Monday.

“F1 shouldn’t limit what we can do or say or influence as drivers because we’re only wanting to do it for the best reasons, doing it because we have millions of fans and viewers who we want to influence and guide and help.

“We should have freedom of speech and do what we want, that’s what we want. It’s better when as a community we make statements as a group but we as drivers should have our own say.

“If things start to get blocked off, no one’s going to want to do media – I’ll just say the same things over and over. We’re only trying to help people in the world and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to do that.”

Max Verstappen has challenged Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to raise their game and provide him with the championship battle that Formula One needs.

Verstappen ran away with last season’s title, winning 15 of the 22 races, to secure his second championship with four rounds to spare. In contrast, Hamilton, in his under-performing Mercedes, endured the worst year of his career as he failed to win a race and finished 214 points adrift.

But when addressing the prospect of renewing his rivalry with Hamilton at Red Bull’s season launch in New York, Verstappen, 25, said: “In the interest of the sport you always want the teams to be super-close.

“I do think it was close last year, but as a team we executed a lot of things better than the others and that was why the points gap was so big. I never felt, apart from two or three races, that we absolutely dominated. But for the general interest of Formula One, everyone wants a title battle with multiple teams involved.”

Ferrari unveiled their 2023 Formula 1 car - the SF-23 - at a spectacular launch event at their base in Maranello in front of 500 Tifosi fans.

The Scuderia, whose title challenge in 2022 was undone by reliability problems and strategic errors as Red Bull cruised to double title glory, have a new team principal at the helm this year with former Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur replacing Mattia Binotto.

Vasseur was present at the reveal on Tuesday morning, alongside drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, as the car design was unveiled before the SF-23 was driven around the Circuit de Fiorano by first Leclerc, and then Sainz.

With Ferrari this year emblazoned on the rear wing, the livery design is not altogether dissimilar to last year’s design, though the car will have an adapted ride height as a result of a slight tweak in the technical regulations.

“I can’t wait for the new season, 2022 was a good step forward compared to two difficult years before,” Leclerc said.

Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali implored the sport will “never put a gag on anyone” in wake of the FIA’s ban on drivers making political statements.

The FIA updated their international sporting code in the off-season to implement a regulation stating that drivers will be in breach of the rulebook if they make “political, religious or personal” statements without prior approval from F1’s governing body.

The likes of Lewis Hamilton and the recently retired Sebastian Vettel have regularly spoken out on matters such as racial inequality, minority rights and climate change and this new rule seems to be a clampdown on their ability to highlight issues close to their heart.

Max Verstappen also labelled the rule “unnecessary” at Red Bull’s car launch last week while Williams driver Alex Albon stated this week the regulation was “somewhat confusing” and urged “clarity” to be brought to the table.

While Domenicali believed the FIA would indeed provide further details in the near future, the ex-Ferrari chief insisted that the sport was eager to encourage drivers raising important political issues.

“F1 will never put a gag on anyone,” he told The Guardian. “Everyone wants to talk so to have the platform to say what they want in the right way the better it is. We have a huge opportunity because of the position of our sport which is more and more global, multicultural and multivalued.

“We are talking about 20 drivers, 10 teams and many sponsors, they have different ideas, different views. I cannot say one is right, one is wrong but it is right, if needed, to give them a platform to discuss their opinions in an open way.”

Fernando Alonso has voiced his displeasure at the lack of testing time available to drivers ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

The two-time world champion was speaking at the launch of Aston Martinn’s 2023 car at Silverstone on Monday night, with team-mate Lance Stroll also present.

Alonso, who joins Aston from Alpine following Sebastian Vettel’s retirement, does not have long to acclimatise to his new team, with next week’s three day testing window meaning the 41-year-old will have just one day-and-a-half to trial the new car.

The first race of the 2023 season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place a week later.

“It is a little bit unfair”, he told a group of journalists on Monday.

“This is the only sport in the world where you do one-and-a-half days practice and then you’re into a World Championship.”

While Alonso insisted he was keeping his “feet on the ground” this season, he did not rule out that his ultimate goal in his final years in the sport were to claim a third World Championship.

Lando Norris believes it is paramount for F1 drivers to have “freedom of speech” following a controversial FIA rule implemented in the off-season.

The new international sporting code states that the sport’s stars could be in breach if they make a “political or religious statement” without prior approval from the sport’s governing body.

Norris, who has been open on topics such as mental health in the past, echoed the voices of many drivers in his reponse to the new regulation.

“I think it’s important it’s clear as drivers that we can still voice our opinions,” the 23-year-old McLaren driver said at his team’s 2023 car launch event on Monday.

“F1 shouldn’t limit what we can do or say or influence as drivers because we’re only wanting to do it for the best reasons, doing it because we have millions of fans and viewers who we want to influence and guide and help.

“We should have freedom of speech and do what we want, that’s what we want. It’s better when as a community we make statements as a group but we as drivers should have our own say.

“If things start to get blocked off, no one’s going to want to do media – I’ll just say the same things over and over. We’re only trying to help people in the world and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to do that.”

Max Verstappen has challenged Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to raise their game and provide him with the championship battle that Formula One needs.

Verstappen ran away with last season’s title, winning 15 of the 22 races, to secure his second championship with four rounds to spare. In contrast, Hamilton, in his under-performing Mercedes, endured the worst year of his career as he failed to win a race and finished 214 points adrift.

But when addressing the prospect of renewing his rivalry with Hamilton at Red Bull’s season launch in New York, Verstappen, 25, said: “In the interest of the sport you always want the teams to be super-close.

“I do think it was close last year, but as a team we executed a lot of things better than the others and that was why the points gap was so big. I never felt, apart from two or three races, that we absolutely dominated. But for the general interest of Formula One, everyone wants a title battle with multiple teams involved.”