F1 | Ferrari and Mercedes-powered teams: Fred Vasseur reveals the real difference. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur explains the key technical difference that gave Mercedes an advantage.

Fred Vasseur has highlighted the main differences between the Ferrari seen in Australia, Mercedes, and the other teams powered by Mercedes engines.

Mercedes dominated qualifying and much of the race in Australia, ending the weekend with George Russell taking victory and Andrea Kimi Antonelli finishing second. Ferrari, after a strong initial start, found itself chasing the Brackley team, crossing the line in third and fourth positions. A great start by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton allowed the two Scuderia drivers to gain positions after a somewhat tricky qualifying session that forced them to start from fourth and seventh on the grid.

In an interview with AutoHebdo, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur highlighted a technical detail that made a crucial difference for Mercedes over the Australian GP weekend.

Chassis and engine: the key factor

According to Fred Vasseur, the factor that deeply influenced Mercedes’ on-track performance is clear: “You really can’t separate chassis and engine. Where they outperformed us at the start of the weekend was clearly in energy deployment.”

Fred Vasseur added, “The engine also plays a big role, but in any car project, you’re always making compromises between chassis and engine. We made certain choices from the beginning. So it’s not just a matter of comparing pure performance.”

Mercedes-powered teams show the difference

What immediately stands out is also the performance of the other Mercedes-powered teams: Alpine, McLaren, and Williams. Even though these teams used the same engine that allowed Russell and Antonelli to claim the top two podium positions, the three teams did not appear as competitive as the Brackley outfit.

Fred Vasseur, focusing on this point, explained: “Between McLaren, Alpine, and Williams on one side, and Mercedes on the other, you can see that the engine is the same, but energy management is different. It’s mainly a matter of settings.”

Ferrari will likely look to refine their own energy management strategies to close the gap to their rivals. The French manager’s comments suggest that while the fundamental engine hardware is locked in, there is still significant performance to be found through software optimizations and a better understanding of how the chassis interacts with the power unit’s electrical output.