Ferrari fails to repeat at Monza: Fred Vasseur surprised by a detail compared to 2024
The Italian Grand Prix ended with Max Verstappen taking victory ahead of the two McLarens. Ferrari, however, was unable to return to the Monza podium. Team Principal Fred Vasseur analysed the Scuderia’s performance, with Charles Leclerc finishing fourth and Lewis Hamilton climbing to sixth place after starting from tenth on the grid.
For this home race, Ferrari opted for a bold choice by bringing an extremely low-downforce rear wing configuration. The flap chord of the DRS element was significantly smaller than that of their rivals, generating far less aerodynamic load. Hamilton later explained the reasoning behind this decision, underlining the importance of straight-line speed at Monza.
The comparison with 2024
Fred Vasseur underlined what had changed compared to Ferrari’s victory at Monza in 2024. Last year Charles Leclerc won by making only a single pit stop, while almost all other drivers were forced into a second stop. This season, however, the picture was very different, with the McLaren drivers able to run almost the entire race distance on the medium compound tyre.
Speaking to the media, including ScuderiaFans.com, the Ferrari boss admitted: “We were surprised by the low degradation. If there is no tyre wear, you can even fit a fresh set of softs in case of a Safety Car.” He also reminded everyone: “Last year the asphalt was brand new and that is a major difference. It was difficult to predict this scenario.”
Ferrari chose to extend Charles Leclerc’s stint on the medium compound compared to rival George Russell, and this strategy partially paid off as the Monegasque driver was able to gain time over the Mercedes. With Lewis Hamilton, however, the situation was less flexible, as his sixth place finish had seemed almost inevitable regardless of the strategy.
Being close to McLaren
Qualifying at Monza was one of the closest sessions in recent years, with several drivers separated by just a few tenths. This weekend Red Bull and Max Verstappen were clearly superior, largely thanks to the Dutchman’s driving skills. Ferrari was not far behind McLaren in terms of pure lap pace, but the feeling was that the British team did not operate in ideal conditions across the weekend.
“I think we were close to McLaren today. It was only Max who was truly impressive,” said Fred Vasseur after the race. Despite this, the gap to the race leader remained considerable, especially on a circuit where Ferrari had expected to perform strongly and fight for a podium finish.
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