Vasseur Urges Rapid SF-24 Upgrades to Outpace Rivals

Fred Vasseur stresses the need for swift SF-24 developments post-Imola, aiming to surpass Red Bull and McLaren in the upcoming Grand Prix races.

Vasseur has emphasized the importance of the upcoming development race following this weekend’s Imola Grand Prix.

The Frenchman believes that this will be crucial in gaining an edge over Red Bull and McLaren in the forthcoming Grand Prix races.

**”Overall, my feelings are mixed because everything we’ve done has advanced our F1. But McLaren has probably made the same progress as we have, taking similar steps forward. However, we have partly closed the gap with Red Bull; we’re not far behind.”

This has resulted in a tightening of the hierarchy at the front, even though Vasseur admits that each team has made small mistakes.

“With pole position or the front row, we win the race. McLaren, too. In terms of pace, it was very close. But no one had a clean weekend. Red Bull started poorly before recovering in qualifying, we stumbled a bit during the fast lap, and McLaren had a penalty on one of their cars. It’s all very tight now.”

“At any moment in this kind of weekend, when you have five or six drivers within two-tenths, any problem you encounter is crucial. But I think everyone had issues. No one after the qualifying lap said, ‘I did the lap of my life, I had no problems, and the balance was perfect.’ So, it’s not a problem to have issues, but it’s essential to understand what happened and what to work on. And we’ll do that next week.”

Vasseur’s Analysis: Rapidly Implement and Maximize Upgrades

“The truth is, we’ve reached the point where we need to accelerate development. Imagine someone brings an upgrade one race earlier, with three teams within a tenth; you can move from 5th to 1st place. This means we must speed up the implementation of our upgrades; it will be crucial.”

“But we also need to be mindful that we are now chasing the last few hundredths. It’s no longer about a half-second upgrade. This means you also have to be sure that what you bring works. This will be the key factor for the upcoming events.”

“When three teams are within a tenth, every action can make a difference. The car settings will be crucial in Monaco, and the driver’s performance will be critical. It’s good news for F1, good news for the championship. You have three teams within seven seconds after seventy laps. That’s less than a tenth per lap.”