Despite Ferrari’s rocky start to the season, team boss Frédéric Vasseur remains calm. After three races, the Scuderia is still waiting for a podium finish and holds a mediocre fourth place in the championship. For Vasseur, there’s no reason to panic, although he does acknowledge that Ferrari needs to introduce minor upgrades soon to sufficiently reduce the gap to the front runners.
With zero podiums in the first three races and a double disqualification in China, one might conclude that Ferrari is once again lagging behind. However, team boss Frédéric Vasseur doesn’t want to dramatize the situation: “I’m used to it,” he joked with Formula1.com. “We’ve started in a similar way the last two years.” Lewis Hamilton did secure a sprint victory in Shanghai, but Ferrari has repeatedly disappointed in the main races.
“It’s certainly not ideal, and I would prefer to win straight away,” Vasseur admitted candidly. “But we don’t need to change last year’s approach. We’re almost in the same situation – perhaps slightly worse in terms of pace – and the team’s response was very strong then.” After a lackluster start to the season, Ferrari slowly came to life. This led to multiple victories, including some coveted wins in Monaco and Monza.
The Sum of Small Improvements
Reflecting on the double disqualification in China – the first time in history that both Ferrari’s race was declared invalid – Vasseur assured that the SF-25 is not a flawed design. After Lewis Hamilton was disqualified for excessive wear on the floor, questions were raised about Ferrari’s ride height. “We all want a low car; that generates more downforce,” explained Vasseur. “We spent the entire weekend finding the limit. This is not unique to our car, it applies to everyone.”
With a deficit of 76 points to championship leader McLaren, Ferrari is currently only fourth. Looking ahead to the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix, Vasseur remains undeterredly positive. “The steps we took last year were not the result of a miracle cure,” he explained. “It’s about small improvements in multiple areas – the setup, the balance, the driver finding confidence. We need to follow that process again. As long as we ensure the car becomes more predictable, we can get the most out of this package – just like last year.”
