A double podium finish against a fifth place and a non-scoring result. Judging from the results of the 2023 Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix, it wouldn’t seem at all that Scuderia Ferrari could aspire to compete with Mercedes for the second place in the Constructors’ Championship. However, Ferrari’s team principal, Frédéric Vasseur, believes it is possible.
In the last two Formula 1 events, both the Brackley team and the Maranello side introduced a significant package of upgrades in search of performance after a highly disappointing and disastrous start to the Championship.
Mercedes, after testing the upgrades in Monaco, immediately benefited from the new components with Lewis Hamilton finishing second and George Russell third. This immediate response led the leadership of the German team to believe they are on the right path of development for 2023 and have a solid foundation for next year.
Ferrari, in terms of results, cannot be satisfied. Yet Frederic Vasseur sees the glass half full, stating that in terms of potential, the SF-23 now has that extra something to aim for better results. However, for now, it’s only potential because if the Maranello team fails to make the car more consistent, these beliefs would dissolve at the slightest breath of wind.
“With the upgrades, we have taken a step forward in terms of potential. The reference point is Miami. At least in qualifying in Barcelona, we managed to put Carlos on the front row. And that is probably a step forward. In the race, we can say that we have made progress compared to Aston Martin, but it’s not enough.”
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“We still have a huge performance gap with Mercedes, from qualifying to the race. That’s where we need to focus all the attention of the team if we want to return to having good races on Sundays and score valuable points.” – the French manager pointed out.
Frederic Vasseur believes that Ferrari will be able to challenge Mercedes once they solve their issues: “I think that as soon as we manage to unlock the situation with consistency, we can imagine fighting with Mercedes throughout the race. With Red Bull, on the other hand, it’s a different story. Especially with Max. He is still much faster than us in both qualifying and the race.” – the Ferrari boss admitted.
“Mercedes is not sleeping at all. Between Miami and Barcelona, they brought a major upgrade. This means they are awake. But what we can see on our part is that what we brought to Spain has yielded positive performance results. If we compare Miami, before the Mercedes upgrade, to the current situation, I believe we have made progress in terms of performance. And Mercedes has also done so.” – the Frenchman continued.
“Probably we are a bit faster in qualifying, but too inconsistent in the race. If we look back at Miami, I think Carlos Sainz’s first stint in the race was good, while the second stint was very poor. It’s really difficult to predict from one track to another where we will be strong or not.”
“We are starting to get a better picture of the car, and we know where we are strong. I don’t think it’s a matter related to the track layout or the asphalt. Miami was completely different, at least in terms of the asphalt, and we had exactly the same situation between qualifying and the race. Miami was a completely different track, at least in terms of the asphalt, and we had exactly the same situation between qualifying and the race. Mercedes is a good reference because in Monaco, they introduced a significant package of upgrades, and the gap is almost the same. It means that what they paid for in terms of performance is there. I think we have taken a step forward, but consistency is still lacking.” – Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur concluded.
