Ferrari finally 'more competitive in race compared to qualifying'

Scuderia Ferrari team principal, Frederic Vasseur, spoke to the journalists on the eve of the British Grand Prix weekend. It was the right moment to discuss what happened at the Red Bull Ring, with a positive performance but some issues concerning the drivers and strategies, as well as to introduce the Silverstone event. Plus, other topics such as track limits, the 2024 calendar, the new Pirelli tires, and more, as interesting subjects which we will report in other articles..

Here are the Ferrari boss’ comments on the events that took place last weekend:

Fred Vasseur and the mood of the Ferrari drivers, between the Austrian GP and the contracts.
“Carlos said that after talking to the team, he understood the situation in the race. Is it frustrating that the drivers speak out before knowing the bigger picture?”
Frederic Vasseur: “That’s your mistake, you jump on ours (ironic). It’s normal, they don’t know everything that happens: the position of all the cars, when the VSC is activated and then removed, and so on. All drivers in the world, when you ask them to stay behind their teammate, would complain. But it was the plan before the race, the important thing was to create a gap with the fourth position. Besides, in Austria, the gain from DRS is huge, and even if you are slower, and I’m not saying Carlos was, you can stay in the slipstream with DRS. The most important thing was to avoid battles and losing time with overtakes, not opening the gap with the others. It’s the right strategy.”

“Carlos Sainz seemed more relaxed after talking to you.”
Frederic Vasseur: “We talked at Maranello, and we discussed the strategy. Everything was clear from the beginning. Regarding the call under the VSC, the main problem was that we didn’t have two good pit stops, so Carlos lost some time, but the question was not whether to do it or not. We know what happened, but I’m not saying it (laughs). The same problem? No, no… We were also a bit unlucky with the timing of the VSC. When we reviewed the race, we agreed that the choice was the right one.”

“Would you reconsider the idea of at least one car following the Red Bull strategy?”
Frederic Vasseur: “No, if you are convinced that Strategy A is the right one.”

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“Are you happy with the results that the changes you made, since your arrival, in the decision-making and strategy department are bringing?”
Frederic Vasseur: “It’s working quite well. You are always exposed to errors with strategies because they are conditioned by what can happen before or after, but the mood on the pit wall is rather calm, and the right decisions can be made.”

“Sainz said he would like to start the season without it being his last year of the contract, and Charles revealed that you are slowly starting to talk. What is the situation?”
Frederic Vasseur: “It hasn’t changed since the beginning of the season. It’s not the number one priority. We will discuss it before the end of the season, and I am completely in line with Carlos and Charles, or at least with myself (laughs).”

“Was this weekend more difficult than Spielberg?”
Frederic Vasseur: “Probably. I don’t want to go into details, but on paper, Austria is a better track compared to Silverstone. However, now, even in more challenging situations, we have to do our best.”

“Have you seen an improvement in the consistency and performance of the car in the last two races?”
Frederic Vasseur: “When you improve, you always want confirmation. In Spielberg, it was the first time that we were more competitive in the race compared to qualifying. It’s difficult to compare with Max, but compared to the others, yes.”

“Are you impressed by Red Bull’s pace or Max’s level of performance?”
Frederic Vasseur: “Both. When Perez is up there with him, they fly away together, and that means Red Bull is impressive, and Max is super impressive compared to the last two years as well. It’s a bit easier not to make mistakes when you have a car like that, but it doesn’t take anything away from him.”