Fred Vasseur: “Qualifying is the reason we’re not further ahead” | F1 Saudi Arabian GP. Ferrari boss Frédéric Vasseur attributes the team’s slow start to poor qualifying sessions, despite strong race pace.

Ferrari secured its first podium of the season in Jeddah thanks to a strong performance by Charles Leclerc. The race pace of the number 16 SF-25 was convincing from start to finish, often matching the times set by the McLaren cars and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

After the 50 laps and the podium ceremony, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur spoke to Sky Sport F1 to comment on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from every angle as far as Ferrari’s weekend was concerned.

Today Ferrari showed excellent race pace. So the problem lies in qualifying, primarily?
“It’s clear that if we’re not one or two steps further ahead today, it’s because of qualifying, because in the race we had a very competitive pace. Charles was very strong. He managed the tyres for the first 10 laps because he was in dirty air and knew he would have to extend the stint. Then on the Hard he had McLaren’s pace. But as we’ve said, we need to improve in qualifying, be more consistent throughout the weekend, and start from a better position.”

Is Leclerc at least partially saving this start to the season?
“It’s not about saving anything, we need to work as a team to keep developing and improving. We have weak points and we know they’re mostly in qualifying, because then in the race we’re always a bit stronger. We have to do a better job on Saturdays, but it’s a team effort—it’s not one person saving the others. We’re all in the same boat.”

The SF-25 seems to perform well in fast sections and struggle in the slow ones. Is that where you need to improve?
“I’m not sure that’s the issue, because today we were very consistent in all types of corners. Yesterday we struggled a lot in turns 1 and 2. Today instead we were the fastest. We need to talk with our drivers to understand what was done differently compared to yesterday. Honestly, the pace was there throughout the lap. Also, tyre preparation and management are important when it comes to one-lap struggles.”

Is it only a tyre issue or have you found something in the setup as well?
“It’s always a matter of many factors, it’s never just one specific thing. When you’re three tenths behind, it’s not just one thing that’s off, it’s a series of factors. Performance comes from different elements and we need to search for every tenth in every area, just like we did last year. We were far off at the start of last season too, but then we caught up. This podium will help push us forward.”

It’s the second race where you’ve scored more points than everyone—except McLaren. How far off are you from what you expected at the start of the season?
“We’re behind McLaren in terms of points and it’s quite a gap. Compared to Red Bull and Mercedes, the problem was what happened in China. But now we look ahead to keep working and pushing as a group. The results will come.”

Do you still believe in the championship?
“I’m thinking about Miami. I think it’s a mistake to focus on the championship. We need to do what we did last year—approach it race by race to improve. We know the car has weak spots, it’s clear, we have to be honest. We need to make an honest analysis. We have fairly clear ideas.”

What do you make of Lewis’ race?
“It was harder for him, finishing 30 seconds behind Charles. He struggled towards the end. He had a decent second stint, but in dirty air he struggled. He’s having too many ups and downs—both him and the team. We need to be more consistent and do a better job in FP3 ahead of qualifying. I think that’s the main issue. We have to be on it in every session, not just in the race or in qualifying.”

Will you go all-in with updates in Miami?
“Miami will be difficult because there’ll only be one practice session. It’ll be a Sprint weekend. So we’ll only have one hour of practice. We’ll probably bring updates in Imola.”