Frédéric Vasseur has made no attempt to hide Ferrari’s difficulties at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and sixth after a weekend that confirmed Baku as one of the least favourable circuits for the SF-26. The Ferrari team principal nevertheless believes the next two races in Malaysia and Singapore should offer better opportunities, with engine performance carrying less weight than it did in Azerbaijan.
Baku had already been identified as a particularly difficult venue for the characteristics of the Ferrari SF-26, and the race weekend ultimately unfolded largely in line with those expectations. Charles Leclerc’s fourth place and Lewis Hamilton’s sixth were a realistic reflection of the performance available to Ferrari, while the final outcome was probably better than might otherwise have been expected because of McLaren’s particularly difficult race.
In performance terms, Ferrari was effectively the fourth-fastest team in Baku. Only an error from Kimi Antonelli allowed Charles Leclerc to finish inside the top four, while the Italian driver still recovered to fifth after starting 16th and split the two Ferrari cars at the chequered flag.
Frédéric Vasseur admits Ferrari could only defend in Baku
After the race, Frédéric Vasseur gave a frank assessment of what had been one of Ferrari’s most difficult weekends of the season. The problems were not entirely unexpected, with the Maranello team already aware before arriving in Azerbaijan that the circuit’s demands would expose one of the SF-26’s weaknesses.
“From the very beginning of the weekend, we knew before coming to Baku that it would be difficult here because of the engine,” Frédéric Vasseur said.
Ferrari had nevertheless created some optimism in qualifying, with Charles Leclerc starting from second place. The SF-26 had shown more competitive performance over a single lap, and the team had also been able to fight with Red Bull. The race produced a very different picture.
“We were starting second, so we expected better. Our performance over one lap wasn’t bad and we also fought with the Red Bulls. But from the start of the race we were losing one position per lap and, in the end, even though the pace was still decent, we couldn’t overtake. We could only defend, we were constantly on the defensive and struggling. It was a difficult weekend,” Frédéric Vasseur explained.
The difficulties matched the technical concerns that had already emerged during the weekend, when Ferrari’s Baku FP3 analysis highlighted improvements in deployment and setup but persistent SF-26 limitations. Straight-line performance was particularly important around the Azerbaijan circuit, and the relevant differences can also be explored through the ScuderiaFans F1 Top Speed Comparison.
Ferrari expects better opportunities in Malaysia and Singapore
With Baku now behind Ferrari, the focus turns towards Malaysia and Singapore. Despite the difficult Azerbaijan weekend, the Italian team also gained points on McLaren in the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, giving Frédéric Vasseur at least one positive element to take from the race.
The Ferrari team principal believes the characteristics of the next two circuits should reduce the importance of the weakness that hurt the SF-26 most clearly in Baku.
“In the next two races, the engine will have a different level of importance and they will be better opportunities for us. In Malaysia, straight-line speed will be much less important. But now we have to understand what we could have done better this weekend, because I think we could have done a better job,” Frédéric Vasseur said.
That assessment does not mean Ferrari is satisfied simply because Baku produced a better Constructors’ Championship outcome than McLaren. Frédéric Vasseur made clear that the team’s ambitions remain significantly higher.
“We still scored more points than McLaren in the fight for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. That isn’t bad, even though our objective is to win races and the championship,” Frédéric Vasseur concluded.
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