Scuderia Ferrari is leaving the United States, for now, after securing an incredible one-two finish at the 5.513-kilometre Circuit of The Americas in Austin, thanks to Charles Leclerc’s victory and Carlos Sainz’s second place.
At the end of the Texas Grand Prix, Ferrari’s team principal Frédéric Vasseur spoke to Sky Sport Italia to comment on Ferrari’s fourth win of the Formula 1 season. It was a one-two finish in the USA that had been missing for 18 years.
Vasseur, an incredible one-two finish. Do you think it’s a one-off victory, or can Ferrari maintain this level of competitiveness until the end of the season?
“The fight has been very close since the beginning of the season. It’s all about the details to be faster than the others. We have to stay focused until the end, and we shouldn’t feel like we’re world champions, because we’re not. We need to keep up this work next week in Mexico, where we’ll be racing at altitude and facing a very different challenge from the one we had this weekend. Just because you’re fast in Austin doesn’t mean you’ll be fast in Mexico. However, we’ve collected a great number of points, and we need to go to Mexico with the same motivation.”
Do you think the Constructors’ title is still possible?
“The title? We need to stay calm, there are still five races left. It’s true that there are a lot of points available from now until the end, so we can still get more important results. Considering there are Sprints, there are about 200 points at stake, maybe even more. This means that anything is possible, but it’s important to stay focused on the next race.”
Ferrari performed well throughout the weekend…
“The whole weekend went well. We struggled a bit more in qualifying because we made certain setup choices. But we also knew that in Austin, you can overtake. It’s a great step forward for us, as we did well right from Friday.”
After what happened in yesterday’s Sprint, did you need to talk to the drivers?
“We didn’t need to talk to the drivers. In the Sprint, the start is crucial because it’s shorter and there aren’t many overtakes. Today, however, was a different story. We knew it would be more about tire management right from the start. Our drivers did a great job managing the tires from the first laps. They were very conservative at the start and did an extraordinary job.”
You had a great start. Was it something you had planned in advance?
“The start? That’s something you can’t predict. Sometimes with the fight in turn 1, it’s better to stay back a bit. The corner is long and wide. Charles Leclerc made a really great move.”
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