Ferrari’s podium hopes were dashed by a poorly timed Safety Car, with Vasseur regretting a lack of late-race strategic bravery.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur isn’t hitting the panic button just yet, despite missing out on another podium. According to him, a strong result was within reach — until an untimely Safety Car threw a wrench in their strategy.
Before the race was neutralized, things were actually looking promising for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who eventually finished fourth and fifth. Ferrari had opted for a medium-tire strategy early on to go long in the first stint — and it was working.
“We didn’t start on softs on purpose,” Vasseur explained. “We went with the mediums to stretch the first stint, and it played out well. In the second stint, we had a pace advantage because we were offset from the others — but then the Safety Car completely killed that momentum.”
Vasseur also pointed to a lack of late-race strategic boldness — not just from Ferrari, but from most teams. “We were a bit too conservative. Mercedes took a risk with Russell switching to softs with 24 laps to go, and it paid off. We still outscored both Mercedes and Red Bull, so it’s not a bad weekend — but we left something on the table.”
Asked what Ferrari could have achieved without the Safety Car, Vasseur didn’t want to speculate too far — but admitted second place might have been in play.
“I’m not a fortune teller — nobody knows what could’ve happened. But we paid the price by running a longer first stint, and we would have had fresher tires until the end. So yeah, we could’ve caught Russell.”
Vasseur also touched on the ongoing battle with McLaren, noting how tight the field is — and how Ferrari often finds itself just a few tenths behind.
“Sometimes we’re right there with McLaren. Other times, they have the edge — it can be as little as five hundredths, or up to five or six tenths depending on the session, temperature, and tires. On average, we’re two or three tenths behind. We’re in the mix with Mercedes and Red Bull, and depending on the session, we’re ahead or behind.”
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Ferrari Frustrated as Safety Car Halts Podium Push
Ferrari Frustrated as Safety Car Halts Podium Push
