Ferrari once again missed out on the podium in Bahrain – a result that seemed within reach until the Safety Car nullified the strategic advantage built up to that point. Fred Vasseur defended the decision to fit hard tyres during those moments, rather than the softs which turned out to be more effective on George Russell’s Mercedes. The Team Principal also expressed his support for Lewis Hamilton, acknowledging the difficulties he is facing in adapting to the Ferrari.
The reasoning behind the strategy
“We had no choice between the hard or used soft under the Safety Car, at least from our perspective,” Fred Vasseur explained, putting into context the decision to fit the hard compound, which later proved underwhelming. “I think even Russell at one point considered it very ambitious to go for 24 laps, but in the end it paid off. The track was a bit cooler and more rubbered in.” The Team Principal also defended the team’s overall approach to the race: “I think the initial strategy was good. In the first stint we paid the price, having to stretch it a bit, but then the pace was really strong and it could have been a great race if not for the Safety Car. But we can’t complain, that’s part of the game.”
“Without the Safety Car, we could have chosen between the soft and hard for the final stint, but with the neutralisation and 24 laps remaining, the soft was no longer an option for us. The whole race was a bit chaotic in terms of strategy. There are races where 90% of the grid does exactly the same thing, and others where it’s not like that. Antonelli had fitted the softs before the Safety Car, meaning he would have had to do three stops. We’re still taking our first steps with these compounds, I think we’re all still flying a bit blind. That’s part of the game, and I think McLaren is by far the best in this.”
Support for Lewis
Fred Vasseur then turned to Lewis Hamilton’s ongoing adaptation struggles: “I understand his frustration on Saturday evening. If you look at the free practice sessions, Q1 and Q2, he was always about a tenth off Charles. Then in Q3 his first lap was deleted, and in the second he made a mistake. That’s frustrating, for both him and us. But on Sunday he fought back well to finish fifth. His race pace was nearly on par with the top three. For me, that was fine – he was very competitive. Nowadays, though, if you leave 2 or 3 tenths on the table in qualifying because of a mistake, you lose 6 or 7 positions.”
The Frenchman urges patience before judging Lewis Hamilton’s integration at Ferrari: “You don’t replace 12 years of collaboration in 2 weeks or 2 races. We definitely need to improve, but that applies to everyone in the team and in the paddock – it’s in the DNA of our sport. It’s good that Lewis has the mindset of wanting to improve and adapt to the car. We’ll work to adapt the car to him, but he also has to take a step. I think we’re doing all this in a very constructive way together.” – the French manager pointed out at the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“I liked that he was a bit down on Saturday. If you qualify 8th and say ‘it’s a shame’, it means you’re disappointed – because the whole weekend had been going much better. […] I appreciated his reaction on Saturday. I did my best to push him, and on Sunday he was in great shape. We’ll pick up from there next week.”
Looking ahead to upcoming races
Despite encouraging signs in terms of race pace, Bahrain confirmed the limits of the SF-25: “If you look at the season average, I think we’re missing 2, 3 or 4 tenths. We’re lacking something. We have to keep working. Aerodynamic load is part of that gap.” The key, according to Fred Vasseur, will be to keep a level head: “We need to stay calm. We have highs and lows, like everyone. The problem is that for us the highs are higher, and the lows just as low. If we want to maintain a consistent approach – as we’ve done very well over the last 2 years – we have to stay calm and improve hundredth by hundredth. I’m convinced we’ll do the same good work we’ve done over the past 2 years.”
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