F1 China GP: Fred Vasseur explains Ferrari’s progress against Mercedes. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur explains the reduced gap to Mercedes .

F1 | Vasseur reveals why Ferrari closed the gap to Mercedes and enjoys a constantly improving Scuderia

At the end of the qualifying session for the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur commented on the performance delivered by the Scuderia in Shanghai.

After the encouraging showing in the Sprint Race at the Chinese Grand Prix, Ferrari managed to confirm its competitiveness during qualifying in Shanghai as well. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ended Saturday in third and fourth positions, results that place the Italian team in an ideal situation ahead of the second race of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

The SF-26 can in fact rely on a strong launch off the line, something that has already allowed the car to gain several positions against rivals in previous starts. Naturally, the hope among Ferrari fans is that the two drivers representing the Prancing Horse can repeat what they achieved at the start in Melbourne, immediately putting pressure on the two Mercedes cars of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

The words of Fred Vasseur after Chinese GP qualifying

Fred Vasseur also addressed this topic at the end of qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix. The Ferrari team principal commented on his team’s performance during Saturday’s action in Shanghai. “It’s difficult to say exactly why the gap is smaller considering that only two weeks have passed. What is certain is that we are moving in the right direction, because the gap continues to decrease session after session. Mercedes remains stronger on the straights, but during the Sprint Race we were able to fight with them for a few laps and we hope to do the same again during the race,” said Fred Vasseur.

The former Alfa Romeo team boss also spoke about Ferrari’s strong starts, which could represent an important advantage to exploit in China. “As for the starts, it’s true that so far we have always launched well and it seems to be one of our strengths. But just as we will improve in qualifying, the others will also improve at the start. However, I feel confident that things could go well in the race.”

Fred Vasseur also commented on the internal battle between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during the Sprint Race. “You always have to manage these situations when you have two drivers starting close to each other. You dream of having this kind of situation and for us it is positive to have two drivers pushing each other in this way,” he added.