Ferrari must emerge from the gray period: the last two GPs, Canada and Spain, saw the team fall behind with both cars off the podium after Charles Leclerc’s brilliant success in Monte Carlo. McLaren, third in the Constructors’ Championship, has gained 30 points on the SF-24s in the last four races, since the updates debuted at Imola. The Maranello team also introduced new features in Montmelò, but it seems they did little to raise the competitiveness threshold.
Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, does not dismiss the new features but points out the overall leveling up that divides the leading teams with minimal gaps…
“The upgrades introduced in the last race worked as expected, but we have seen how our rivals are not sitting idle and how, at this moment, there are four teams within less than three-tenths.”
Now comes the appointment at the Red Bull Ring, the second race of a very challenging triple-header that will conclude at Silverstone, and the French manager expects even smaller gaps in a weekend characterized by the Sprint race format…
“Now we go to Austria, a track that takes just over a minute to complete, where these already small gaps will become even thinner. We must focus a lot on ourselves because in Spielberg every detail will make the difference, and the preparatory work done in Maranello will be crucial given that with the return of the Sprint format we will have only one free practice session before going into qualifying.”
Fred Vasseur expects a turnaround at Spielberg, Red Bull’s home track, with a Ferrari that returns to being a protagonist…
“As a team – including the drivers – we must make a step to ensure we leave no opportunities on the table, both in terms of single-lap performance in qualifying, which is key with such fierce and close rivals, and in race execution: in Austria, I want to see a change of pace.”
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