Vasseur Warns: 2025 Could Be a Qualification Battle

Fred Vasseur fears 2025 may turn into a championship decided by qualifying times, urging Ferrari to improve race weekend consistency.

In a season full of challenges, Ferrari secured its best result of the year at Suzuka with Charles Leclerc finishing in fourth. However, this result wasn’t enough to satisfy team principal Fred Vasseur. He expressed concerns over Ferrari’s qualifying performance and the growing importance of qualifying results for the entire season.

“The race result mirrors what we saw in qualifying. With the car we had, it’s unlikely we could have done much better. We were about two or three tenths off the best time in qualifying, and it was pretty much the same in the race,” Vasseur stated.

“We’re facing difficulties in some areas, and we need to keep working to get the most out of the car for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. We know there’s room for improvement, and we need to work on the car’s balance and tire management.”

“Qualifying is always critical for performance. The closer we get, the smaller the gaps become, especially within the group. We’re not just fighting the car ahead of us. Yes, this could likely turn into a ‘qualification championship.'”

Ferrari will bring updates to Bahrain this weekend, and Vasseur acknowledged there’s progress to be made across the board: “Looking at the results, we need to try to improve next week to unlock more potential and make the most of what’s already in the car.”

“I won’t tell you exactly what we will or won’t bring. We need progress everywhere. For next week in Bahrain, like every team, we will have reference data from pre-season testing, which will give us a clearer view of where we stand and where to improve.”

Vasseur estimates Ferrari is about three tenths behind McLaren, and he’s confident it won’t be solved with a single upgrade: “On average, we’re two or three tenths off pole position, and maybe the same gap in the race. It’s a good situation, and we need to build on that.”

“If we made significant progress last year between the start and mid-season, it’s not because we found a magic solution. We never find something that brings three or four tenths. Progress usually comes from combining improvements in ten different areas, making tiny gains of a few hundredths, improving balance, and helping the driver extract the maximum from the car.”

“Honestly, I think we weren’t that far off in qualifying, but it was tough for us, and probably the same for McLaren, to put together a perfect lap. If you look at Charles’ lap, he lost a tenth and a half in the last chicane, and then another tenth in the first corner. It’s not an excuse, but…”

“I’m not saying we have the best car, because I think it’s the same for [Oscar] Piastri and everyone else. When you reach a certain level, it becomes really tough to extract the full potential from the car. We also need to work on the drivers’ skills to get the most out of it.”

Despite the tough start to the season, Vasseur isn’t overly concerned: “I didn’t spend the winter dreaming about the first race or wondering if I’d be here or not. I’m just going to Australia to race and try to make the best of our strengths. We took exactly the same approach last year.”

“We managed to bounce back after the first two races, where we were six tenths behind on average, and we made progress as the season went on. That shows we need to keep the same approach. It doesn’t matter the gap or the Suzuka result. We need to try to improve next week.”

Furthermore, Ferrari’s operational performance has been error-free: “At least we’ve improved from last week, at least on the operational front. No disqualifications! We have to build on that. It’s not the ideal start to the season, but there are still 21 races left.”

• Discover More>Piastri Reflects on Frustrating yet Rewarding Suzuka Finish
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