Despite a strong Friday at Monza, Vasseur remains non-committal on Ferrari’s prospects.
To the delight of the Tifosi, Ferrari started its home weekend at Monza on the right foot, matching the pace of the top teams throughout Friday. Could the Scuderia reclaim the spotlight after last week’s surprising performance in Zandvoort?
Not so fast, cautions team principal Frédéric Vasseur, who notes that the first day’s results are not always indicative of what might unfold on Saturday and Sunday.
“There is no reason to draw any conclusions after free practice. Over the last four or five Grands Prix, things have been so close that it’s better to avoid making such remarks. But overall, things went quite well for us. We are focused on ourselves, we have a plan for the next two days and we will stick to it. For now, everything is fine, but we mustn’t jump to conclusions for the weekend.”
“Moreover, we were also on the podium last weekend in Belgium. And we even started from the front row, in pole position at Spa. But I think very small details can make a huge difference in either moving forward or backward on the grid or in race pace, because we are all within two-tenths of each other. OK, except for Lando at Zandvoort! But behind Lando, it was very, very close. And we must avoid drawing any conclusions about the general pace or anything else, as it can change from one weekend to another, or even from one session to another. At Spa, Red Bull dominated the first day, McLaren the second. We took pole position on Saturday. Mercedes won the race on Sunday. This means we need to keep this in mind, focus on our work and avoid jumping to conclusions too quickly.”
Ferrari is sporting some updates on its SF-24 in Italy, with a very straightforward goal, according to Vasseur.
“To be a bit faster. And more consistent. Consistency wasn’t the issue during the longer runs. I think we have made a significant leap forward compared to last year in this regard. Certainly, we all aim to be consistent from one session to another, from one event to the next. But we are also in a situation where we have been developing this car for three or four years. It is becoming increasingly difficult to add performance to the car and we need to take a bit more risk in this regard, which sometimes pays off, sometimes less so.”
Working with Sainz in the future? Vasseur doesn’t rule it out
Next season, Carlos Sainz will vacate his seat for Lewis Hamilton and move to Williams F1, but the Spaniard has not ruled out driving again for the Scuderia in the future. Would the French director consider working with the winner of this year’s Australian Grand Prix again?
“Yes, absolutely. Honestly, I have immense respect for Carlos and what he has done for Ferrari. As you know, this decision was not taken lightly. But he has been performing exceptionally well. He has remained professional under these challenging conditions. I clearly see what he brings to the team, what he contributed last year, and he was part of the turnaround last year when we had a difficult period during the summer, and I am more than happy to have Carlos and I will maintain a very good relationship with him.”
While Ferrari may currently seem out of contention for victories, the Italian team is nonetheless only 64 points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. Does Vasseur see potential for a significant breakthrough in 2024?
“I haven’t paid attention to the championship and I won’t do so. I think we simply need to do our job well and give our best each weekend, and if something is meant to happen, it will happen. But the worst thing, I think, would be to focus on the championship, to be conservative, to adopt that kind of approach, because on the same weekend, for small details, you can go from first or second place to seventh or eighth, because of strategy, tyre management, for any reason. And it can change dramatically from one weekend to the next. A good weekend means 43 points. Soon, we’ll have weekends with the Sprint race. That means you can score up to 55 points per weekend. I think we still have something like 500 points on the table.”
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No Rush to Judgement for Ferrari, Says Vasseur No Rush to Judgement for Ferrari, Says Vasseur. f1 2024 No Rush to Judgement for Ferrari, Says Vasseur
