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Ferrari’s Hope for Hungary Persists Amid Struggles

09/07/2024

Ferrari remains optimistic about the Hungarian GP despite recent setbacks. Vasseur, the team director, still believes in the potential of the Imola updates to improve their performance.

Carlos Sainz revealed this weekend that Ferrari had not made the right choices in developing its SF-24, and that the wrong directions taken would cost the Scuderia time, losing several weeks or even months.

“Our rivals have improved their cars and gained tenths, while we have lost two or three months of development. We have not made the right decisions recently,” said the Spanish driver.

“But we have returned to a car we know and must continue to improve from there. Now, we need time in the wind tunnel and at home to develop a new package that will really bring us performance.”

Sainz acknowledges that the poor form of the Scuderia is very difficult to endure: “It’s been a nightmare for the last three or four races, unfortunately. The main problem is the pace we’ve been losing for some time.”

While rumors spoke of Enrico Cardile’s departure, confirmed on Monday, and Adrian Newey’s arrival, team director Frédéric Vasseur refutes that this could have disrupted Ferrari: “It’s people outside the team talking about Adrian and Enrico. We never start our debriefings talking about these things.”

Asked about the victory of his future driver, Lewis Hamilton, Vasseur acknowledges this success but remains pragmatic: “I am happy for Lewis, but I am focused on this season. We have enough things to address today, and I don’t want to think about that. We will have time to talk about Lewis and welcome him this winter.”

“Now, let’s focus on the work to be done. We are still second in the constructors’ standings, and we have 70 points to catch up with Red Bull, but if we can score points with two cars, we can close that gap.”

The Frenchman acknowledges the clear comparison between the updates at Imola and Barcelona: “We tested both packages on Friday and decided to converge on one package on Saturday. If we look at the race Carlos had here, the potential wasn’t so bad. After 25 laps, he was a tenth behind Max.”

Vasseur stated that Ferrari “will decide in Budapest” how to revert to the Spain package: “I think Silverstone is one of the most aggressive circuits in terms of bouncing, which is one of our weaknesses. Today, we corrected it, and that allows us to be optimistic for the next race.”

Vasseur Confident in Imola Updates' Potential

Vasseur Confident in Imola Updates’ Potential Vasseur Confident in Imola Updates’ Potential

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