Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur has admitted that he underestimated a key aspect of the team’s Formula 1 season before clarifying the Scuderia’s objectives for the final races of the championship. The Italian outfit found renewed pace during Saturday’s qualifying session at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, after a mixed start to the weekend on Friday. Charles Leclerc secured third place, while Lewis Hamilton took fifth, giving Ferrari a strong position in their battle with Mercedes.
The fight in the Constructors’ Championship is far from over. McLaren has already secured the title mathematically, but behind the Woking-based team, the contest remains wide open. Following the Sprint Race in Austin, Mercedes sits second, just 26 points ahead of Ferrari, with Red Bull trailing a further 33 points behind in fourth. With six Grands Prix still to go, second place remains well within reach for all the top teams.
At Maranello, there is hope that the team can finally put behind them the recent disappointments from Azerbaijan and Singapore. A strong result in the United States would provide a much-needed boost to a squad eager to regain confidence and stability. On Friday, Ferrari chairman John Elkann reaffirmed his full trust in Frédéric Vasseur and the engineering department. After Saturday’s session in Texas, the team principal outlined Ferrari’s current goals for the remainder of the season.
Fred Vasseur: “We want to win, but our main goal is second place in the Constructors’ Championship”
The Ferrari SF-25 is a car without clear strengths, but it has proven to be consistent across different circuits. However, its performance has rarely been outstanding, which has made it difficult to beat the McLaren drivers or a dominant Max Verstappen. Speaking to Canal+, Frédéric Vasseur revealed the team’s late-season objectives: “Of course, we would like to win a race, but our main goal is to secure second place in the Constructors’ Championship. Right now, Mercedes has a small advantage.”
“The situation we’re in is a little frustrating,” Fred Vasseur admitted. “We stopped developing the car very early, and perhaps I underestimated the psychological impact of that decision. Running 17 Grands Prix without any upgrades affects the motivation of the team. Still, the qualifying result is encouraging and gives us a small push forward.”
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