Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur believes the enormous qualifying advantage shown by George Russell in Baku may not necessarily carry over into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, despite admitting the Scuderia did not make all the right decisions in Q3. Charles Leclerc secured a front-row starting position, but the scale of Ferrari’s deficit to the Mercedes pole-sitter left a very different impression of the SF-26’s performance.
Ferrari’s glass continues to look half full. In Madrid, the team’s Q3 performance had been encouraging, with all the drivers covered by less than two tenths, but the final result was disappointing as Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth. During Baku’s unusual Friday qualifying session, exactly the opposite happened: the result was positive thanks to Charles Leclerc’s return to the front row, but the performance itself raised concerns after George Russell finished more than eight tenths clear.
The contrast was particularly striking after George Russell took a dominant Baku pole ahead of Charles Leclerc. Ferrari therefore finds itself in another situation without much middle ground: never quite bad enough to despair, but rarely convincing enough to celebrate without reservations. Fred Vasseur, however, believes there are still reasons to build something positive in the race.
Fred Vasseur admits Ferrari did not make the best Q3 choices
“It was a complicated session for everyone,” the French team principal explained to Sky, acknowledging that Ferrari made some mistakes in its management of Q3. “The temperature dropped enormously compared with FP2. The top three all used a different strategy, and that’s something you don’t see very often in qualifying… Russell did three consecutive laps, we did two, while McLaren did 1+1.”
Finding the correct tyre preparation window became particularly difficult as conditions changed, adding another variable to a circuit where grip was already limited. Ferrari had worked to improve its package before qualifying, with the team’s progress and remaining limitations emerging during the Baku FP3 analysis of the SF-26’s deployment and set-up.
“That’s how it went, but certainly with this track, because of the characteristics of the circuit, the low grip, the wind and the very low temperatures, we knew qualifying would be right on the limit,” Fred Vasseur continued. “But the others probably made better choices than we did.”
The scale of the difference can also be put into context through the F1 Qualifying Pace & Sector Comparison, which allows the qualifying gaps and sector performance to be compared across the field.
Ferrari refuses to concede victory to George Russell
Despite finishing more than eight tenths behind George Russell, Ferrari is not approaching the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as though the fight for victory has already been decided. The Mercedes driver has appeared extremely strong throughout the Baku weekend, but Fred Vasseur believes Sunday’s race could produce a different competitive picture.
“Mercedes too fast? Well, if we only look at qualifying, then definitely,” Fred Vasseur admitted. “But in any case, we will fight and push until the end. And then, the race is always a little different.”
“It’s true that Russell has looked unbeatable this weekend since the first lap of practice, but we’ll see. The Grand Prix is long, we should have fast and consistent race pace, and we also know that tyre degradation is very low.”
Low tyre degradation could make overtaking more difficult in Baku
Tyre behaviour could become one of the defining elements of Ferrari’s attempt to challenge George Russell. According to Fred Vasseur, degradation around the Baku City Circuit is traditionally limited and appears to be even lower this year, potentially reducing the opportunities for teams to create significant pace differences through tyre management.
“It’s usually like that in Baku and this year it’s even more the case, which could make overtaking a little more difficult. We’ll see,” the Ferrari team principal explained.
That characteristic could place even greater importance on track position and the timing of strategic decisions during the Grand Prix. The development of the different compounds and stint lengths can be followed through the F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.
Asked whether Ferrari was effectively fighting only for second place after George Russell’s commanding qualifying performance, Fred Vasseur rejected that interpretation.
“Only fighting for second place? No, the race is another story and maybe Russell will still have the same advantage, but maybe he won’t. We will definitely fight until the final corner,” the Ferrari team principal concluded.
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