F1 | Vasseur: “We are a little behind, but on the right path”
The Ferrari team principal admitted the difficulties faced by the Scuderia at Zandvoort, but remained confident that the team is moving in the right direction ahead of qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix.
It was certainly not the ideal restart after the summer break. Ferrari began the Dutch Grand Prix weekend at Zandvoort far from the top positions.
The month-long break has ended, yet the situation looks very similar to what was seen before Hungary. McLaren continue to lead the way, with the rest of the field chasing and losing several tenths of a second per lap.
In the morning session, the Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished well outside the Top 10. However, things improved in the afternoon, even if they still closed the day only in eighth and sixth place respectively, almost a full second behind the papaya-coloured McLarens.
“The morning session was difficult,” commented Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur to Sky Sport F1. “In the afternoon we did a little better. We are a bit behind, but on the right path. Zandvoort is a complicated circuit for us. Over the last three seasons we have always struggled here and we are trying to understand why. This afternoon we were eight or nine tenths off, and most of the gap to Norris came between Turns 9 and 10. We must fix everything before tomorrow.” – the French manager pointed out.
“From the very first lap Lewis was pushing to the limit. It was good to see both of our drivers pushing like that and supporting each other. When you are struggling, it is very important to rely on both cars to recover. This way we can try different options. Hopefully tomorrow the track will stay dry so we can test other solutions. But we are getting closer.”
The French manager then explained what to expect from the second half of the season. According to him, Ferrari will perform better on circuits where the SF-25 adapts more naturally, with still some small hope of fighting for victories.
“After Spa and Budapest, where we made a step forward, from now on it will depend on the characteristics of the tracks we encounter. It will depend on whether or not they suit our car. We will keep pushing until the end of the season. Here, first place seems out of reach, but maybe we can fight for second place and aim to win some races later on,” Fred Vasseur concluded.
