The course is set: Ferrari must take risks to bring both F1 titles back to Maranello. As the 2024 season heads into its final three races, the Constructors’ Championship remains wide open between McLaren, Red Bull, and the Prancing Horse. The focus of Frédéric Vasseur’s team is entirely on “the next session,” aiming to stay motivated while easing the pressure.
The Vasseur effect seems to be working. Since the French engineer took the helm ahead of the 2023 season, Ferrari has undergone a radical transformation. The team’s approach to racing is more daring, the factory work progresses swiftly without fear of mistakes, and morale is sky-high—a perfect formula to correct the missteps of the summer and reestablish themselves as title contenders.
Of course, some might express regret over points lost in Europe. Had they not lost months of development after the disastrous updates in Spain, perhaps Charles Leclerc would still be in the hunt for the Drivers’ Championship. But overcoming tough times is crucial, and for the first time in many years, Maranello has shown they can rise stronger.
Taking risks, accepting mistakes: Frédéric Vasseur and Ferrari’s new philosophy
In an interview with Formula 1’s official website, the Scuderia’s team principal was clear and resolute: “We had a difficult time after Monaco, but we managed to recover. Sometimes it’s hard to bounce back when you find yourself in such a situation, but the team did a great job: sure, in Baku, we lost some points, but since the summer break, I think we’ve done good work.” – he explained.
“I just want people to work as a team, for the team. I want them to be aggressive, to take risks. The motivation is there: there’s no need to motivate people here; sometimes you even need to calm them down a bit. The most important thing is to accept that we can make mistakes, work on them, try to improve, and have this mindset of always striving to do a better job than the day before.”
“We must accept the fact that you can’t blame someone for making a mistake. We’ll learn from it; it’s a work in progress. I’ve asked the team to be more aggressive, and two or three races later [in Austin] last year, we were disqualified! But that’s the price we have to pay. If we push closer to the limit, it will ultimately pay off.” – the French manager pointed out.
The technical challenges of bringing the Constructors’ title back to Maranello
While Ferrari is still very much in the fight for the 2024 Constructors’ title, Frédéric Vasseur’s focus is on shielding the team from media pressure. The goal is to work session by session, extracting maximum potential from the car without unnecessarily attracting attention, as the media remains fixated on rivals from Woking and Milton Keynes.
“I don’t want to talk about [the 2024 title]; my only goal is performance in the next session. I try to keep the team focused on this approach. We’re only concentrating on the next event and short- to medium-term development; we’re not thinking about the championship at all. By far, this is the best situation. All the media are focused on Red Bull and McLaren, and that’s fantastic for us.” – the Ferrari team principal concluded ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.
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