Speaking to the microphones of Sky Sport F1 on the sidelines of the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint Race, Scuderia Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur provided an update on the situation at the Italian side, focusing on what has been seen in these first two days of the weekend. The French team principal appeared quite satisfied with Carlos Sainz’s podium finish in the 100-kilometer sprint race. And he didn’t hide his optimism for tomorrow’s race. Here are his some of his most important comments:
Austrian Grand Prix, Fred Vasseur’s words on the sidelines of the Sprint Race:
“Carlos Sainz had a very solid Saturday. We had a technical issue this morning, but he managed to put it all together in the final lap and bring home a good result,” Fred Vasseur began, referring to the strong performance shown today by the Spanish driver during the sprint shootout, with Carlos having just one shot in SQ1 to secure a spot in the second stage. Commenting on the Sprint Race, he added: “And I would say the race went quite smoothly as well: he didn’t take any risks in traffic, and I believe he was clearly faster than Sergio Perez. But things unfolded as they did, and he still secured some points. Tomorrow, we start from a good position, and we think we have another opportunity.” – the French manager pointed out.
Turning to Charles Leclerc’s unfortunate Saturday (grid penalty and unremarkable Sprint Race), Fred Vasseur said: “He had a complicated day. Since this morning, in these conditions, it hasn’t been easy for him: he struggled a lot, and in the race, every time he tried to overtake those in front of him, he lost position to those behind. I think the most important thing for him is to turn the page and focus on tomorrow’s race. It will be dry conditions, and we need to regain the pace from Friday and bring home a good result.” – the Ferrari team principal continued.
Regarding the performance of the SF-23 single-seater, Fred Vasseur stated: “Today has been a very up-and-down day. It’s difficult to judge. Let’s focus on yesterday (Friday) and tomorrow. Starting from second and third positions, I repeat, we will have a good opportunity to score points. If we consider dry conditions, everyone is within 3-4 tenths. Tomorrow will be a total reset.”
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On Max Verstappen’s performance, he said: “Is he running a different championship? I don’t know about a different championship, but it’s true that he is doing an exceptional job in any condition. He is always there, and his confidence grows accordingly.”
The final remark: “We need to focus on ourselves. I believe we have made progress in the last 2-3 weekends. Today, Carlos Sainz reached the podium, and tomorrow we start from P2 and P3: let’s build on these good foundations we have laid.” – Fred Vasseur concluded after the Sprint event on Saturday.
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