Fred Vasseur encouraged by Friday practice, but feels Ferrari can further improve | 2024 Australian GP. Fred Vasseur on Ferrari's approach in the opening F1 practice sessions in Melbourne.

The team principal of Ferrari is pleased with the approach of the Prancing Horse in the opening practice sessions in Melbourne, but remains grounded, aware that tomorrow Red Bull will show its true potential.

Ferrari has kicked off the race weekend in Australia in the best possible way, demonstrating competitiveness both in single-lap pace and race pace thanks to an excellent day from Charles Leclerc and a resurgent Carlos Sainz following his surgery two weeks ago in Jeddah.

However, the first practice sessions are only a partial reality, and tomorrow things could already change for several reasons. Red Bull did not find the best setup today, while the Scuderia seems to be on the right track and only needs some tweaks to make further progress.

At the end of the day’s track action, Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari’s team principal, commented on the two practice sessions at Melbourne’s Albert Park to Sky Sport, emphasizing the need for caution in judging what was seen today.

“We need to focus on ourselves. Red Bull will also have their own things to do. Surely it went well. Carlos did well, managing to complete a long stint without too much discomfort. So I think he can turn the page and focus on the weekend. Charles also did well, he was very consistent in race pace and fast in single-lap pace. It’s definitely encouraging for tomorrow.” – the French manager pointed out after the second free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix.

“In Melbourne, with the evolution of the track from one day to the next, each session is a story in itself. Tomorrow morning, we start from scratch towards qualifying.” – he added.

Although Ferrari had a great day, Frederic Vasseur believes that things can improve by working on the details. The right path has now been taken this weekend, but one can never be satisfied enough.

“You can’t be completely satisfied, otherwise it means there’s not enough motivation. However, there’s a good feeling about the car. There are things to do, but it’s all about the details. We’re moving in the right direction. The pace we showed today was good. Red Bull also had some problems and is not at 100%. I don’t want to make comparisons, but for us, Friday went smoothly, without issues, we managed to put everything together from both sides of the garage, and that’s a good starting point for tomorrow.” – the Ferrari boss concluded.