Fred Vasseur: “McLaren’s advantage is smaller than Red Bull’s last year, it’s not the end of the championship”. Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur remains optimistic despite a tough weekend in China.

After Lewis Hamilton’s Sprint victory, Ferrari suffered a double disqualification in China. However, Team Principal Frederic Vasseur remains optimistic, believing the gap to McLaren is manageable. He also praised the cooperation between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, dismissing the misleading team radio coverage by FOM.

Learning from 2024
Fred Vasseur compared McLaren’s current form to Red Bull’s dominant start last year, which eventually faded: “They won the first two races, and back then, I was asked if they could clinch the title by June. We must be cautious. McLaren is in great shape and strong on pace, but this isn’t the end of the championship.”

Ferrari trails McLaren by 61 points in the Constructors’ standings, but Frederic Vasseur sees the deficit as far smaller than Red Bull’s dominance last year:
“In the 2024 China Sprint, Max started sixth and won by 16 seconds—game over. But things changed, we improved, and by year-end, they were arguably a step behind us.”

Development continues
“We must stay calm and focus on ourselves,” Fred Vasseur emphasized. “There were positives this weekend—Lewis’ win, his pole, Charles’ race pace. But we also have issues, like Hamilton’s qualifying struggles and today’s race pace. We’re still on the limit in extracting performance from the car and team.” – the French manager pointed out.

At the season’s start, Ferrari planned to reassess development priorities after the first races. However, Fred Vasseur believes it’s still too soon: “If we’d drawn conclusions after Melbourne’s FP2, we’d have felt confident—same after Saturday’s Sprint. A few hours later, we struggled. I don’t think we’ve maximized the car yet.”

Teamwork prevails
Fred Vasseur admitted Ferrari is still analyzing why Charles Leclerc outpaced Lewis Hamilton despite front-wing damage: “Charles’ pace was surprising given his loss of downforce. We need to understand what happened.”

Regarding the controversial position swap, Fred Vasseur slammed FOM for broadcasting only part of the team radio exchange: “It’s a joke. Lewis asked for the swap first, but they aired only the second half to stir drama. He admitted he lacked pace, and we appreciated that. A lap later, his speed returned, so he initially said to stay put but then realized he couldn’t hold it. The teamwork between them is outstanding—I have no complaints.” – the Ferrari team boss concluded.