In light of the results of the 2023 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur quipped that they would need to implement some unconventional changes to their car if they hope to challenge Red Bull this season. Despite starting from pole position following a strong showing in Friday’s qualifying session at the Baku City Circuit, Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc was quickly overtaken by championship leader Max Verstappen just four laps into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
His teammate Sergio Perez also passed the Ferrari man soon thereafter, ultimately winning the race after taking advantage of a Safety Car with the Dutchman in second and Charles Leclerc having to settle for a distant third place. Despite the fact that Charles Leclerc did show impressive pace later in the race, Frederic Vasseur acknowledged that there is still much work to be done by the Scuderia.
“Even if the pace was there at the end, we are not able to fight with Verstappen,” Fred Vasseur said in an interview for Sky Sports F1 after the Baku Grand Prix – “But it is like this and we now focus on Miami. We have to learn from the race.” – the French manager added.
When quizzed about what the Maranello team may have done to make life more difficult for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez when the Red Bull cars were running behind Charles Leclerc in the early stages of the race, Frederic Vasseur replied: “Remove the wing, but it’s not an option! In Baku it’s quite difficult to fight. First we have to understand exactly the story.”
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Finishing in fifth place, Carlos Sainz helped Ferrari to narrow the distance to Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship after this fourth round of the 2023 Formula One campaign, while his teammate Charles Leclerc secured a distant third position after being overtaken by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Besides Frederic Vasseur, other Red Bull competitors have also mentioned the possibility of removing the rear wing to match the team’s pace, as suggested by George Russell for the Silver Arrows, with the British driver pointing out that the RB19 car would still be the fastest.
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