Vasseur lauds F1’s vibrancy as Ferrari edges closer to rivals with newfound competitiveness.
Fred Vasseur, Ferrari’s director, lauded his team’s performance in Belgium, although the slim margin to its rivals resulted in a fourth-place finish, subsequently upgraded to third after George Russell’s disqualification.
“In terms of performance, it’s good; we’re in the game and only ten seconds off the winner, so it’s not a disaster. It’s a bit disappointing in terms of position because there was no room to do better,” Vasseur told Canal+.
“We were at a performance deficit compared to Hamilton and Piastri. We’ve made a step forward, but more is needed for a win. The performances were quite correct overall throughout the weekend. In the rain, we were on the front line.”
Another piece of good news is that the bouncing issues did not manifest: “Yes, it was much better. But it’s very dependent on the speed. If we redo the qualifying in the dry, does it reappear? Zandvoort may also be critical for this, but we’ve solved 80% of the problem since Silverstone.”
Asked about his surprise at seeing Mercedes F1 clinch a one-two finish, the Frenchman believes he was not alone: “I think even they did not expect it! It’s so tight that for one or two tenths, you could go from sixth to first. We should not draw conclusions from the standings but rather look at the pace.”
“We’ve never seen this in F1 at Spa, having six cars, four teams within ten seconds at Spa. There were years when the third was a lap behind. In our analysis, we must consider this. We should not get frustrated and must look for the details because that’s what it hinges on.”
“We have four teams within one, two, or three tenths in pure performance. It’s been like this for a few laps and will be in the near future. Each improvement by a tenth will help us gain positions. But the truth of one day is not that of the next. And no one expected to see Mercedes win.”
Vasseur drew a very positive conclusion from the first 14 races of the year: “Compared to a year ago, we’ve had a very good first half of the season with 60% more points scored. This is surely one of the best championships we’ve had, with four victories fighting for podiums and wins. And everything is open for the end of the season.”
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Ferrari’s Vasseur Hails F1 Thrills Narrow Margins Ferrari’s Vasseur Hails F1 Thrills Narrow Margins
