Ferrari emerge strongly from two of their most difficult races
Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps were supposed to be two extremely difficult races for Ferrari, particularly while the team waits for the upgraded engine incorporating the second ADUO development token. Instead, the Scuderia leave the two circuits with a victory and a second place, both secured by a resurgent Charles Leclerc.
Lady Luck undoubtedly played a part on both occasions, but the final outcome remains significant. The Ferrari SF-26 was still able to take the fight to Mercedes at two circuits that appeared among the least favourable on the calendar, despite Ferrari continuing to face a degree of inferiority in terms of engine power. Those concerns were especially relevant at Spa, where energy deployment and MGU-K management presented an additional technical challenge.
Ferrari had arrived in Belgium with deliberately measured expectations, as Charles Leclerc had explained when discussing Ferrari’s prospects at Spa-Francorchamps. Nevertheless, the team once again converted its opportunities into a major result. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur was pleased to take those points back to Maranello, although he remained determined to keep his feet firmly on the ground.
Fred Vasseur refuses to discuss a Ferrari title fight
Just as he did following Ferrari’s Silverstone triumph, Frédéric Vasseur refused to be drawn into discussing the World Championship after the Belgian Grand Prix. That caution was even more understandable after a second-place finish at Spa that ultimately increased Charles Leclerc’s deficit to championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
“Championship fight? No, I don’t want to dream. It’s important to focus on the actual results, so let’s stick to the race,” Frédéric Vasseur told Sky Sports. “It’s true that when we arrived here and at Silverstone, we expected difficult weekends and not to be able to fight for victory, considering the characteristics of the circuits and our situation. However, it went rather well. We did an excellent job and managed to fight at the front.”
His comments reinforce the cautious message Ferrari have maintained despite their recent improvement, with the debate over whether the team are playing down their genuine championship ambitions continuing after two highly productive weekends.
Vasseur admits Mercedes still had the pace advantage
Frédéric Vasseur acknowledged that the timing of the Virtual Safety Car had helped Charles Leclerc at Spa, but he also suggested that the outcome represented some overdue compensation after previous races in which circumstances had worked against the Ferrari driver.
“Today Charles was a little fortunate with the Virtual Safety Car, but compared with the past, this time it paid him back,” the Ferrari team principal added. “Overall, it is a good result for the team. Kimi was faster on track. We were faster than expected, but it is not as though we thought we would be eight seconds per lap slower.”
“We had estimated that we would lose eight tenths, yes, but on the straights, and that we would recover that time through the corners. In fact, we expected to be slower than Mercedes and today we were, just as we were at Silverstone.”
Despite admitting that Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes possessed greater outright speed, Frédéric Vasseur stressed that Ferrari’s deficit was small enough for the team to remain in contention whenever starts, strategy or changing race circumstances created an opportunity.
“The margin is not enormous, so we can fight because favourable circumstances can arise, such as the start and the strategies, as we saw at Silverstone,” he explained.
Ferrari may therefore have exceeded expectations at the two circuits considered least suited to the SF-26, but Frédéric Vasseur is not allowing those results to change the team’s immediate approach. Attention now turns to a circuit that should theoretically suit the car more effectively, although the Frenchman warned that Ferrari must still execute the weekend properly.
“The next circuit will be a little different and slightly more in our favour, but we will still have to do a good job,” the Ferrari team principal concluded.
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