Ferrari boss Vasseur stresses tyre management as F1’s top differentiator, surpassing aero tweaks like front wing flex in performance impact.
Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Fred Vasseur believes that mastering the Pirelli tyres is a more decisive factor in performance than flexible wings.
The FIA, F1’s governing body, introduced stricter tests on front wing flexing at the Spanish Grand Prix. Championship leader McLaren was thought to be the most affected. However, the team went on to dominate the race with a one-two finish, leading every session and setting a fastest lap 1.2 seconds quicker than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
Vasseur had said prior to Barcelona that the changes could be a game changer. While he acknowledged the new regulations had some impact, he considers Pirelli’s notoriously sensitive tyres a greater performance differentiator than flexible wings.
“Monaco can’t be used as a reference, it’s a bit of an outlier,” Vasseur said when asked about his thoughts on the first weekend of front wing regulation enforcement and the developments since Imola.
“Even if you alter the performance gap by a tenth, it can make a huge difference in terms of position, but not compared to McLaren, because they’re still two or three tenths ahead.”
“If we look at the Barcelona race, on lap 40 we were five seconds behind Norris, and I think that means the pace was much better than it was three or four races ago, when we were a lap down in Miami.”
“I’m not saying it’s the front wing, that would be an oversimplification, but we all have the same issue: understanding the tyres and the compounds in terms of consistency and performance. It’s true for us, but also true for others.”
“We have far more data on this point than we do on the front wing performance gap. It’s not the most important factor in terms of performance, but it needs to be taken into account, because with a tenth, the entire grid can shift—making it a potential differentiator.”
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