Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur believes the Scuderia recovered important performance during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend and expects energy deployment to create a fascinating strategic battle in Sunday’s race at Spa-Francorchamps. While Charles Leclerc was left frustrated by a late yellow flag in qualifying, Vasseur remains confident that Ferrari’s race pace can put the SF-26 in contention.
Ferrari showed a clear improvement from Friday practice and FP3, restoring its one-lap competitiveness in qualifying. However, Charles Leclerc had to lift during his final Q3 attempt after encountering a yellow flag at the pit-lane entrance while approaching the Bus Stop chicane, an episode Vasseur believes affected the final outcome.
Frederic Vasseur believes Charles Leclerc lost out to yellow flag
Without putting an exact figure on the loss, Frederic Vasseur was in no doubt that Charles Leclerc’s final lap had been compromised. “It is difficult to say whether Charles lost one or two positions. The gaps were really small: Norris is ahead by very little and Russell is ahead of him by a few thousandths. I do not know exactly what happened, but Charles certainly had to lift and that cost him at least one position to Russell.”
The incident added to a difficult Spa weekend in which Ferrari had already needed to resolve the issue affecting Charles Leclerc’s straight-line speed. The wider MGU-K management challenge under the FIA’s Spa energy rules has made deployment particularly important around the high-speed Belgian circuit.
Ferrari recovered performance after FP3
Despite the disappointment surrounding the yellow flag, Frederic Vasseur was pleased with the progress Ferrari made over the course of the weekend. “We have to focus on the pure performance, and I think we managed to recover ground during the weekend. We made a good step after FP3, finding the competitiveness we needed in qualifying, and that was very important.”
The SF-26’s improved form also followed an intense weekend of set-up work, with the latest technical developments in the Spa pit lane highlighting the compromise required between efficiency on the straights and grip through the circuit’s demanding middle sector.
Although Saturday left Ferrari with some regret, the team is looking ahead to Sunday with confidence. Frederic Vasseur believes race pace remains one of the SF-26’s strongest qualities, particularly when the impact of any engine deficit tends to be less pronounced than it is over a single qualifying lap.
“The race will be long and we know that we have often been more competitive on Sunday than in qualifying,” Frederic Vasseur said. That assessment is also consistent with the expectations Charles Leclerc outlined before the weekend, when he discussed Ferrari’s outlook for Spa-Francorchamps.
Spa energy deployment set to shape Belgian GP strategy
Friday’s race simulations have further encouraged Ferrari. “Yesterday’s race simulation was also quite representative, especially because there were several possibilities in managing energy deployment,” Frederic Vasseur explained.
According to the Ferrari team principal, the Belgian Grand Prix will be heavily influenced by how teams use power-unit energy on Spa’s long straights. “From a strategic point of view, we will see a good battle between all the teams to understand where to use more energy, both when defending and when attacking.”
Frederic Vasseur was asked whether Mercedes having more power units represented on the grid helps the team establish the best deployment strategy, but he did not agree with that interpretation. “No, I do not think that is the reason. It is also a question of the way in which the power is used. Energy deployment is fundamental for preparing the entry into a corner, and we can clearly see that Mercedes works very differently from McLaren, Alpine or Williams.”
The importance of battery deployment has already been a notable talking point in the paddock, including in Lewis Hamilton’s comments on battery-driven overtaking before the Belgian Grand Prix.
Ferrari avoids FIA dispute over Charles Leclerc incident
Finally, Frederic Vasseur returned to the yellow-flag incident involving Charles Leclerc and explained why he felt it had been particularly punishing. While avoiding a direct dispute with the FIA, he suggested the position of the marshal played a significant role.
“Honestly, we have not discussed this with the FIA, but it depends a lot on the position of the marshal,” Frederic Vasseur said. “Today, the marshal was positioned before the final corner. Because it is a very slow corner, he is practically within the driver’s field of vision. At other circuits, the marshal is much further away from the track.”
That, in Frederic Vasseur’s view, made the closing moments of Charles Leclerc’s lap even more difficult. “For Charles, it was quite a heavy situation because the presence of the marshal also limited his view just as he was taking the final corner.”
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