Ferrari strong in Austria qualifying – Fred Vasseur says it wasn’t just the SF25 upgrades. Ferrari impressed in Austria qualifying with strong performances from Leclerc and Hamilton.

After a Friday that Frederic Vasseur described as chaotic, Ferrari responded in Austrian GP qualifying with a strong performance: Charles Leclerc secured a front-row start, while Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, showing progress throughout the session. The Team Principal praised the team’s execution above all, which helped deliver a strong Saturday, although the new technical updates introduced in Austria also contributed.

Fred Vasseur had called Friday chaotic for Ferrari, after Charles Leclerc had to sit out FP1 to let Dino Beganovic drive the SF-25, and Lewis Hamilton experienced a gearbox issue that cost valuable time. These setbacks slowed the team’s efforts to understand the new upgrade package brought to Spielberg.

However, Ferrari believed they had potential and could climb back up the rankings compared to Friday’s fifth and tenth place results. The gap to the McLarens on Friday was six tenths, and although the deficit remained significant in qualifying—around half a second behind an outstanding lap from Lando Norris—the team took encouraging steps forward. Ferrari generally performs better on Sundays than Saturdays.

Charles Leclerc managed to get ahead of one of the McLarens, as Oscar Piastri couldn’t complete his final lap due to yellow flags caused by Pierre Gasly’s spin. While Ferrari likely wouldn’t have beaten the Australian without that incident, starting from the front row still gives the team a strong opportunity.

Speaking after qualifying, Frederic Vasseur emphasized that, beyond the good result, the entire Saturday had been positive, starting from FP3 when the gap to McLaren had already narrowed.

“Yes, it was a good session and a good day overall,” Fred Vasseur told Sky Sport F1. “We started well in FP3, the pace was there, and everything ran smoothly.” He praised both the drivers and the team for executing the plan well—something that had been lacking two weeks ago in Canada.

“We got everything right on track, which meant that from the first lap in Q1 we were able to post a good time, and we prepared well for Q3. It was a solid session. Of course, Norris was flying, but managing to slot between the two McLarens is a good first step.”

Unlike other weekends, this time Ferrari arrived in Q3 with two new sets of soft tyres, allowing for an aggressive approach from the start. In contrast, Max Verstappen and the Mercedes drivers had to use a scrubbed set for their initial runs, which made a noticeable difference.

“There have been a couple of times this season where we only had one fresh set for Q3 because the grid was so tight,” Fred Vasseur explained. “That makes Q1 especially critical—if you don’t get a clean lap, you have to use a second set and spend the whole session chasing.”

Besides Charles Leclerc’s front-row start, Lewis Hamilton also deserves credit for a strong fourth place. He seemed to take a clear step forward compared to Friday, where he ran with a higher-downforce rear wing and lost time on the straights.

“From the beginning of the season, we needed clean execution. Yesterday in Q1 we had a problem with the gearbox, and Charles missed FP1, which put us on the back foot for Q2—but we recovered well,” said Fred Vasseur – “What’s most important is having a clean weekend with solid execution from the start. That lets you focus on the small details, and I think we got our approach right. Of course, the updates helped, but execution was the real difference. We’re in the mix, and it’s important to be in the right group from the start of the race. DRS is very strong at Spielberg and it’s easy to end up in a train quickly, so starting position is key.” – the French manager pointed out.

Compared to Friday, track temperatures rose by around ten degrees, which increased tyre stress even on single-lap runs. With relatively soft compounds selected for the Red Bull Ring and long, high-speed corners, thermal degradation became a bigger factor.

Friday’s cool conditions were almost an anomaly, as all teams expected a hotter Saturday and Sunday. That meant tyre management and race pace became the main focus.

“From the beginning of the weekend, we knew Sunday would be hot, that was clear even earlier this week. So tyre management will be key—it’s going to be tough,” Fred Vasseur added – “But it’s possible to overtake, so we don’t need to fear pit stops too much. Our long-run pace yesterday was good—Lando Norris was probably a bit quicker than us, but we were right behind. Let’s focus on getting the strategy right tomorrow.”