Ferrari Holds Steady in Pursuit of Constructors' Title Win

Ferrari sticks to its plan, with Vasseur committed to tallying points only at season’s close.

Ferrari remains firm in its decision not to introduce any further upgrades to its SF-24 Formula 1 car for the remaining three races of the 2024 season.

The Scuderia currently trails McLaren by 36 points in the Constructors’ Championship, a gap that widened slightly in Brazil after narrowing significantly since Austin.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz each claimed a victory in the recent triple-header, propelling Ferrari ahead of Red Bull and exerting real pressure on McLaren, with 147 points still up for grabs.

When asked if Ferrari had further components lined up for 2024, Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur joked: “Plenty of new parts, especially after this weekend’s crashes for Carlos (Sainz).”

“Honestly, no. We’ve been focused on next year’s project for several months now, with nothing new coming up.”

Vasseur expressed little concern about the minor increase in the points gap with McLaren.

“We knew Interlagos would be tougher for us, likely favouring McLaren, but ultimately, we didn’t lose too many points over the weekend.”

“Of course, I don’t want to drop points—I want to gain them and have a better weekend than we did.”

“But it’s no drama, and we’re likely to have a much better weekend in Las Vegas next.”

Meanwhile, Vasseur emphasised that the intense discussions surrounding Ferrari’s title prospects will not alter the team’s race-by-race approach.

“We’ve had the same approach for months now, focusing on each race as it comes, because I believe that’s the best mindset.”

“We just need to focus on what we can do and avoid trying to calculate too much. We’ll keep the same approach for the next race.”

“Honestly, I don’t remember the exact points gap in the standings—it’s you who keeps reminding me of it each time. All I know is that it’s still very achievable, and I want to keep going with that mindset.”

On the water-in-tyres controversy surrounding McLaren F1

As a new controversy swirls in Formula 1, with Red Bull suspecting McLaren of injecting water into their tyres, Vasseur questions why any team would do such a thing and refrains from criticising his rivals.

“I don’t know where these accusations are coming from.”

“I’m not going to get involved in this area because one of our team’s strengths this year has been to stay clear of all controversies.”

“I don’t understand the theory behind it, as I think we’re all trying to remove moisture from the tyres, not add water or anything else to them.”