Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur is pleased with the gains they have made following their setback at the start of the year.
“I think we are improving from the beginning of the season to today,” said Vasseur. However he admitted they need to continue their progress to regain their race-winning form of last year.
“The initial goal was to fight for the championship but I think [that was] true for us [and] it’s true for McLaren, for Red Bull and for Mercedes. We are all in this mood to fight for the championship at the beginning of the season.
“I think if you compare with expectations, probably McLaren is one step ahead compared to everybody and we didn’t do a good job on our side. Just speaking about us – Ferrari – we didn’t do a good job [in a] couple of races. We had the disqualification in China, we were 60 points behind Red Bull and Mercedes at this stage of the season.
“Overall, I think we had a decent recovery, at least compared to Red Bull, Mercedes. Compared to McLaren, they are still one step ahead. It means we have to continue to try to do a better job each day and improve.
“I had the feeling that on some occasions this year, we missed opportunities and we didn’t do the same level of job as we did last year, let’s say. And this, clearly, we need to improve.”
Ferrari were only seventh in the championship after the first round of the season. They rose to second prior to last weekend’s race.
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The team’s car has often been competitive over a race distance but is weaker compared to the competition in qualifying. Vasseur agreed the team has raised its game in other areas, such as its pit work, but must increase its rate of improvement.
“If you compare with the beginning of ’23, ’24, we did a good step forward on operations: strategy, pit stops, even reliability. But still, we are behind McLaren.
“At the end, the target is not to do a good job. The target is to do a better job than the others.”
He said McLaren is “the best example” of how to rebound from a setback. The team made a poor start to the 2022 championship but rebounded over the following years and hold a dominant position in the constructors’ championship today.
“In 2022–23, they had a very harsh season,” he said. “They were at the back, but they were focused. They worked on their own, and they improved step-by-step. And it’s, I think, what every single team wants to do.
“I have huge respect for the 10 teams on the grid. I know all of them, they are competitors, they are racers. And when we are not doing well, we are aware.
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“It means we are trying to put everything together, we are pushing, and the most important is to be able to do your own job. That’s sometimes where we are struggling a little bit.”
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