After the qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix, Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur shared his analysis of the Scuderia’s performance with Sky Sport F1. At the Suzuka Circuit, Charles Leclerc secured fourth place, while Lewis Hamilton finished in sixth position.
Fred Vasseur’s words after Japan qualifying
Frédéric Vasseur evaluated the team’s performance with clear-eyed analysis, highlighting that Ferrari’s real limitations emerged at the crucial moment of the session. According to the Team Principal, the team showed encouraging signs, but lost some sharpness specifically in Q3:
“If we look at today’s gaps, it becomes clear that it’s not just a matter of pure performance or energy management; how you extract the maximum from the car counts enormously. We showed a stronger form during Q2 than we did in Q3, and we will try to understand the reasons for that tonight. Our focus now is on Sunday, because that’s where the points are awarded; we need to prepare a solid strategy and ensure every detail of the start is perfect.”
Fred Vasseur also defended Hamilton, explaining the challenges linked to the new power units and the specific driving style required:
“I do not believe at all that Lewis lost his edge in qualifying. In these regulations, a lot depends on the electrical delivery and not pressing the accelerator too early. It’s a driving style that feels almost counterintuitive for a driver, but it’s what the current rules demand. At certain moments we were very close to Mercedes; now we need to understand how to maintain that level over the entire lap.”
Despite the gap to Mercedes, the objective for tomorrow’s race is clear:
“We always go on track with the ambition to win, and since the current starting procedures are often unpredictable and chaotic, we know we can fight with Mercedes as we have done in previous rounds. The race pace we showed on Friday was encouraging, so everything remains possible for tomorrow.”
Finally, the Team Principal reiterated the need to quickly close the gap to the leaders and announced a strategic shift starting from Miami:
“Clearly we have a performance deficit compared to the front runners that we need to recover, because our goal is not just the podium, but the top step. From Miami, a new championship will begin, which is why it’s vital to collect the maximum points now, becoming extremely efficient so we don’t lose contact in the standings while the rate of technical development accelerates drastically.”
