Fred Vasseur, after the Chinese Grand Prix, quantified Ferrari’s current gap to Mercedes and discussed the developments needed to bridge the distance.
At present, Ferrari sits as the second force in the F1 championship behind Mercedes. The largest gap to the Brackley-based team has been evident in the qualifying sessions so far. In both Australia and China, George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the first two positions and converted them into victories. Ferrari, thanks to excellent starts and a strong race pace, manages to reduce the gap during the Grand Prix. Fred Vasseur, at the end of the Chinese GP, quantified the real distance between Ferrari and the Brackley team and spoke about the future developments of the car.
ADUO but not only: Ferrari’s next steps
Fred Vasseur, speaking to Sky Sport F1, addressed the real gap between Mercedes and Ferrari after two races: “I think overall they are faster than us over a weekend. It depends on the sessions, but they are always three, four, or five tenths faster than us. When you put the overtake mode on and are less than a second behind, we can survive, maybe pushing a little more on the tyres than them. But when they have a clear track and cleaner air, we are a few tenths slower than them, and we saw that again today.”
Fred Vasseur identified Mercedes’ biggest advantage on the straights: “They have a clear advantage on the straight, and we need to work on this. We clearly know what we need to do, and we have to continue pushing in every single area of development. But this is the current situation.” – the French manager pointed out.
The Ferrari team principal, also looking at ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities), meaning the chance to work on the engine during the season, admitted: “We also need to understand when there will be the possibility to further develop the engine thanks to ADUO, and we expect a lot from this. But honestly, you shouldn’t just work on the engine; you have to work on everything.”
For Fred Vasseur, the work is not limited to the engine but extends to multiple areas: “There’s no magic wand that can fix the whole car. There are details we need to improve in every single area of performance, and we have to improve on tyres, aerodynamics, chassis, suspension, everything. So we have to maintain this mindset to continue developing. For now, we are ahead of McLaren and Red Bull, but they will push and react too, so we need to keep this momentum.”
While the upcoming ADUO engine evaluations represent a significant opportunity for Ferrari to reclaim lost ground on the straights, Fred Vasseur is adamant that a holistic approach to the SF-26’s evolution is the only way to truly challenge Mercedes for the 2026 title. The battle in Maranello is now a race against time to bring these upgrades to the track before the championship lead becomes insurmountable.
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