Fred Vasseur: “Impossible to make predictions, we’re all within a tenth and a half” | 2024 Spanish GP

Ferrari’s comeback in Barcelona at the 4.657-kilometre Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hinges on the updates introduced from the first free practice session on Friday. Canada now seems behind them, thanks especially to the work done in Maranello, which has allowed for a better understanding of the mistakes made and the problems that caused a bitter double zero points finish after the success secured by Charles Leclerc on the streets of Monte Carlo in Monaco.

The response from the first kilometers gives confidence to the Ferrari technicians, who have conducted comparison work by installing the new features on Carlos Sainz’s SF-24 and leaving Charles Leclerc with the now old version. This confirmation comes directly from Frédéric Vasseur, who spoke at the team principals’ press conference.

“In Canada, we got everything wrong, from the beginning to the end of the weekend, with setup problems, reliability issues, and on-track incidents,” said Ferrari’s number one. “We understood where we went wrong and we’ll see what happens here in Spain. We have a clear idea on every single aspect and I hope we won’t fall into the same problems again.” – the Frenchman continued.

“Impossible” predictions
However, Frederic Vasseur did not make any bold predictions, having to face a Red Bull and a McLaren that, at least on paper, have the “advantage” of a track favorable to them.

“We can win anywhere, but it’s quite impossible to make specific predictions for each track. This is because we are a group of eight cars within a tenth or a tenth and a half since the start of the season. It’s the reality of this Formula 1, especially in qualifying, and we have to take each single result with caution.” – the French manager pointed out.

A positive start
The start of the Catalan weekend has nonetheless gone in the right direction: “I believe the first impressions are positive because we were able to test the update package we brought here this weekend. Everything is going well, but we have to gather the results and draw conclusions only on Saturday and Sunday,” concluded Fred Vasseur.