In Las Vegas, Ferrari conceded to Mercedes despite the SF-24 being the heavy favorite beforehand. Tires and temperatures, according to Frederic Vasseur, were more of an issue than the technical directive issued just days prior, which clarified the permitted practices for protecting the plank from wear and forced Ferrari to make modifications to the floor. During the usual press conference, the Team Principal also commented on the exchange between Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, while extending congratulations to Max Verstappen on securing his fourth world championship title.
A tire problem
“The technical directive came very late,” Fred Vasseur remarked when asked about the timing of the latest FIA intervention. “We received it last Friday, a week before qualifying. However, this isn’t an excuse for today; it’s a separate matter. The problem this weekend was tire management, and it has nothing to do with that.” The most significant impact, however, concerned the cost cap: “It heavily affected the budget because we had to redo all the skids.”
The Team Principal then analyzed the Las Vegas race: “During the race, we struggled a lot in the first stint but performed well in the last one. This was true for us as well as for others. It shows we’re not far from the target, but it’s a matter of refinement. Also, the fact that no one tested the hard tires and that medium tire simulations were conducted after three flying laps with graining already present put everyone in a tough spot. However, it’s no excuse—Mercedes managed to do a better job.”
The severe graining experienced early in the race wasn’t solely due to the car’s design: “It’s a combination of factors—how much the driver pushes, the compound, the setup… If you look at the second and third stints, even without changing compounds, some teams had different performances. It doesn’t just depend on the car but also on the fuel level or how you start the stint. At the beginning of the race, Charles Leclerc tried to attack George Russell and suffered much more graining than in the subsequent stints, where he was more conservative. However, when you’re on track and racing competitors, finding the right approach is difficult.”
Internal matters
“Graining mainly depends on the pace you want to maintain,” Fred Vasseur continued. “Charles was behind Russell but then, at some point, tried to push and attack him. The same thing happened to Hamilton at the end—it’s really on the edge. It’s not an easy task. However, it’s true that in the last 4-5 laps of the first stint, we lost about 10 seconds. At the same time, though, you can’t pit, because you’d end up in the midfield traffic, having to overtake everyone, which is what happened with Sainz. You have to wait for others to stop first.” – the French manager pointed out at the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Team Principal also explained the miscommunication with Carlos Sainz, who was called to the pits for a second stop but then instructed to stay out: “At that moment, we were discussing the stop with Carlos and explaining to him that he would end up behind Yuki Tsunoda. He wanted to pit; we wanted to keep him on track, and at the same time, we had to swap positions. It was a bit chaotic.” When asked if a better result was achievable, Fred Vasseur replied: “I don’t think so. Overall, I believe Mercedes was the fastest. Maybe, with a different approach to the weekend… But today, with the positions we had on the grid, I don’t think we could have done more.”
He then downplayed the controversy over Carlos Sainz overtaking Charles Leclerc despite being instructed to hold position: “At the beginning of the stint, you have to manage a lot, while Carlos Sainz was already three or four laps into that tire. It was a difficult situation; we’ll talk about it.” Fred Vasseur, however, wasn’t concerned about the final disagreement between the two drivers: “I’m not worried. It’s always the same story—they shouldn’t make comments during the in-lap because they don’t have the full picture, but they do anyway. We’ll discuss it, but it’s not a problem.”
Championship still open
The Las Vegas result complicates Ferrari’s title hopes, but Fred Vasseur isn’t giving up: “I’d rather be 24 points behind than 200. The championship is still open, and anything can happen. On paper, Qatar isn’t the best track for us, but we’ve had tough weekends where we still managed to do well. We’ll do our best to put pressure on McLaren for the final race. This is very important because anything can happen in the last Grand Prix. We’ll push until the last corner of the last lap of the last race.”
“During the season, there were weekends when we were the most competitive, and I’m not saying those were easy. Sometimes, though, when you’re not at your best, you have to score more points than your rivals, and that’s what we did today. We probably didn’t have the best car, but we maximized our points—12 more than McLaren. It wasn’t a bad weekend for us, even if we perhaps expected more. Mercedes, however, was competitive and better than us.”
Tribute to the champion
Las Vegas also marked Max Verstappen’s confirmation as world champion. Fred Vasseur’s comments came promptly: “I think this year Verstappen has been consistently fighting. He had a great start to the championship, securing pole positions and wins, but he also won coming from behind. There were tough weekends where Red Bull wasn’t the fastest, yet he still managed to score crucial points and do a good job. From a performance standpoint, I think those are the hardest weekends. In our sport, the easiest situation is when you achieve pole position, victory, and fastest lap, and when the car’s competitiveness is good. It’s harder for a driver to fight in the midfield every weekend. His performance has been incredible.”
The Frenchman expressed enthusiasm for this Formula 1 season, showing more passion than restraint as a Team Principal: “I don’t recall a championship with four teams capable of competing for victory and three teams fighting for the title two races before the end. This doesn’t happen often, and it’ll probably be even better next year. Over the last two years, there’s been a convergence in performance, which is good for Formula 1.”
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