Fred Vasseur does not hide disappointment: "Poor start, we totally lost control"

Fred Vasseur does not hide disappointment: “Poor start, we totally lost control” | 2023 Mexico GP. Fred Vasseur does not hide disappointment for Ferrari's result in the 2023 Mexico GP.

Insufficient Podium
Ferrari disappoints once again. In Mexico, Charles Leclerc achieved a podium finish, taking third place, and Carlos Sainz finished in fourth. However, these results leave a bitter taste considering the front row that the two red cars had secured in yesterday’s qualifying. Instead, the start was extremely disappointing, with both the SF-23 cars of the Monegasque and the Spaniard being overtaken by the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. The Mexican was then knocked out of contention due to the contact with Charles Leclerc, while the Orange Team champion was, as usual, unstoppable. Speaking to Sky Sport F1, Ferrari’s team principal, Frederic Vasseur, analyzed the race in Mexico, starting with the disappointing start that will be thoroughly reviewed in the coming days.

Start Under Scrutiny
“We didn’t start well, but it’s not a matter of managing the start,” immediately clarified the French manager, who did not hide his disappointment with the final result. “The start was not good; we gave a tow to everyone and completely lost control of the situation. If you start poorly, you give a tow to others, and this put Carlos and Charles in a difficult position between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. This led to the accident. We lost part of the front wing [with Charles Leclerc], and the situation became a mess for Carlos too. However, the problem was not the management of the start but the start itself. Max was already ahead of Carlos after a few meters.” – the French manager explained.

Difficulties After the Red Flag
“We can’t be satisfied with the final position if we look at where we started,” Fred Vasseur succinctly summed up the situation. “The weekend overall was not negative, especially in qualifying, and even the pace in the first stint, despite the front wing damage, was not far from Max’s. However, the red flag following Magnussen’s accident paradoxically complicated the day for the Ferrari drivers instead of renewing their hopes. “We struggled a lot more with the hard tires at the restart and in the final phase of the race. There, we lost pace. We were also cautious about the stint length, using the hard tires, and we were on the limit. We were surprised that Hamilton managed to do so many laps on the mediums.” – he pointed out.

Heading to Brazil
The theme of the week, leading up to the race in Brazil, may remain that of the starts: “I haven’t discussed it with Charles yet,” Fred Vasseur reiterated. “The restart was better. For the restart, we didn’t have a new set of mediums, only the used ones from qualifying, and it was on the edge for us in terms of durability. We’ll try again in Brazil, doing our best in qualifying to be more consistent in the race, but overall, we’re still in 3rd and 4th. The result itself is not catastrophic, but we need to do better work next week.” – the Ferrari team principal concluded at the end of the 2023 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix.