With the unveiling of the SF-24, the official start of Ferrari’s 2024 season has begun. On one of the most anticipated pre-season days, Ferrari’s Team Principal, Frédéric Vasseur, outlined the current situation within the team, balancing between the present and the future. While the long-term goals are clear, the Frenchman emphasized that much of the focus is directed towards the upcoming season.
Despite last year’s results falling short of expectations, Fred Vasseur explained how Ferrari demonstrated good competitiveness on several occasions, only to struggle with race pace. This inconsistency was a key focus during the off-season: “I’m not sure if it was always degradation, but I would say more inconsistency, and we have certainly focused on making the car easier to drive and less restrictive. I think we’ve taken a good step forward in that regard.” Ferrari approaches the new season with the goal of finding the extra consistency that, in recent years, led to a challenging statistic of qualifying results not translating to Sunday’s races.
Fred Vasseur highlighted the difficulty in making clear predictions before Bahrain, where comparisons with rivals will unfold. “Ultimately, you can gain two seconds, but if others gain three, you look like a fool, whereas if they gain one, you’re the best in the world.” Ferrari’s Team Principal emphasized that the priority for the Bahrain debut is to confirm that the work done so far is heading in the right direction. While the 2024 championship will lay crucial foundations for the following season, Fred Vasseur focused on the current season, taking a step-by-step approach. “It’s a very important season for us, we are completely focused on 2024, and I think the best way to prepare for something is to do a good job. We want to achieve the maximum, win races, continue on the path of 2023, and we won’t think at all about 2025.”
Fred Vasseur: “Horner’s case has no influence on the technical market”
With the Red Bull presentation, the complete grid for the 2024 championship will be revealed. While there is much curiosity about the technical choices of the championship-winning team, the Horner case remains a hot topic, an unresolved situation that could also impact the technical market, potentially leading to departures from Milton Keynes. Vasseur did not delve into the details of the private matter, emphasizing that, as far as Ferrari’s recruitment campaigns are concerned, they are continually evolving and not subject to factors such as the current situation at Red Bull. “We are recruiting staff as we were before and will continue to do so. But this has nothing to do with the current situation.”
Ferrari’s Team Principal highlighted the importance of building a strong and cohesive team to achieve the perfect “equation,” as he described it. “You always have to be in the mindset of continuous improvement, to understand your weaknesses and make strides in different areas. I am convinced that every single Ferrari employee contributes to the performance.” This underscores Vasseur’s commitment to instilling a DNA founded on the solidity necessary to open winning cycles.
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Fred Vasseur between the present and future of drivers: “Carlos Sainz is a professional, Lewis Hamilton an enormous opportunity”
Although Lewis Hamilton’s move to Maranello next year was not unfamiliar during the SF-24 unveiling, Frédéric Vasseur stressed the importance of the current pair, highlighting the progress made thanks to the feedback from Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. “Looking at last year, we had a very positive trend throughout the season, with some phases where Charles stood out more, while Carlos did so in the first and last parts of the season.” Vasseur did not express concern about potential conflicts that might arise, especially considering Sainz’s future away from Maranello, emphasizing that professionalism will prevail: “I’m not asking them to be the best friends in the world and go on vacation together. I ask them to work in the interest of Ferrari as a priority, in the right way and with the right approach.”
A future that, at least from the outset, will not affect the tools available to the two drivers at the wheel of the SF-24. While the French manager’s position relationship with Charles Leclerc has been long-established, his connection with the Spaniard has not shown any cracks so far.
Fred Vasseur is convinced that this will continue until the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi. “I have nothing against Carlos; he did a great job last year. But the driver with the most experience on the entire grid is something that should be considered in any case and is an enormous opportunity for us.” The head of the red team did not express worry about the uncertainties that come with starting a season with the awareness that the driver lineup will not be the same next year. This confidence is accompanied by the excitement of facing a historically significant choice. The premises for the red season are, therefore, those of a year to be tackled with extreme concentration but also with a smile, looking forward to future prospects.
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