Frustration is never a desirable state of mind. Yet, in some ways, it suggests how much Ferrari has improved in recent weeks.
The second place obtained today in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s crash on the penultimate lap with Sergio Perez left a bitter taste for Ferrari and team principal Frédéric Vasseur, but also the awareness of having made progress that is bringing the Reds to consistently fight for victories and podiums, being very close to Red Bull and second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
The team principal of the Prancing Horse, as usual, commented on the race on Sky Sport F1, addressing both Carlos Sainz’s crash and Charles Leclerc’s result in a mix of emotions.
Fred Vasseur, what do you think about Sainz’s crash with Perez?
“It’s the first time I’ve seen the crash. I think Carlos started the straight just behind Charles, and both tried to catch his slipstream. It’s true that Checo had a lot of space on the left and didn’t move. It’s a shame to end the weekend like this.”
Do you think that not running much during practice and not testing the race pace impacted Leclerc’s result today?
“Certainly, not running much in Friday’s practice didn’t help Charles much, but that shouldn’t be an excuse. Probably Charles was a bit too optimistic after the first stint because we were very comfortable, and we knew the introduction of the tire in the second stint would be very important. He didn’t push much, and it probably wasn’t the right approach at that stage. In the end, that was the key. Once behind, we struggled to overtake Piastri and damaged the tires more by being behind him. When you’re behind a car, the tires get damaged more compared to when you’re ahead. So it was difficult to take back the position.”
Charles Leclerc seemed surprised by Piastri’s attack, which then turned out to be decisive. Could he have defended himself more decisively?
“Yes, maybe Charles could have defended the position more. But as I said earlier, it was the first lap of the stint, and it was also important to protect the tires. Sure, it’s more important to protect the position than the tires, so maybe he didn’t realize how close Piastri was and how fast the McLaren was on the straight, but I haven’t talked to Leclerc yet.”
In light of today’s result, do you think McLaren’s front wing played a role?
“Certainly, that wing isn’t a technical disadvantage, let’s put it that way. But we have the potential and the package to win. We were on pole, and in the first stint, we were dominating. Now we have to do better with what we have, and today we had room to do a better job. Of course, we made another podium, we’re scoring more points than Red Bull, and we’re catching them in the Constructors’ Championship. That’s important. But it’s true that there’s a kind of frustration over Carlos’s crash and losing to Piastri. But in the end, you can’t always win.”
