Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur reflects on a challenging race weekend in Miami. Drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished seventh and eighth respectively. A mediocre result for the Scuderia, whose race was also marked by disagreements over the team radio. However, Vasseur does not want to discuss strategic blunders. Now that the team finished nearly a minute behind McLaren, he is pinning his hopes on the upcoming upgrades in Barcelona.
During the Miami GP, Lewis Hamilton in particular expressed his dissatisfaction. The seven-time world champion felt he was stuck behind teammate Charles Leclerc for far too long. Eventually, the Monegasque let him pass, but on his worn medium tyres, Hamilton could not make any headway. Eventually, he – somewhat frustrated – gave his position back to Leclerc. “Should I let Sainz pass too?” he sarcastically asked over the team radio.
After the race, Vasseur responded to the criticism from the 40-year-old Brit. Should Ferrari have intervened sooner when Hamilton was behind Leclerc? “It didn’t take that long,” the Frenchman responded dryly. “If you have two cars with different strategies, the first thing I want to know is whether the cars behind you are faster thanks to DRS.” He wanted to prevent the Scuderia from losing a place. “Honestly, I think we did what we had to do. In hindsight, it’s easy to say we should have switched half a lap earlier or later,” said Vasseur.
‘McLaren was on another planet’
Vasseur acknowledged Hamilton’s frustration, but at the same time emphasized Ferrari’s priorities. “I spoke with Lewis (Hamilton) and I understand his dissatisfaction. That’s what makes him a champion. But we race primarily for Ferrari, and as a team, I think we did well. We finished seventh and eighth instead of eighth and seventh,” he stressed, highlighting the triviality of the debate. “I’d rather talk about why we finished a minute behind McLaren.”
According to Vasseur, the qualification was Ferrari’s biggest weakness that weekend, partly due to poor tyre management. “We lost so much ground in the qualification,” he continued. “It was the worst session of the entire year. Moreover, McLaren was on another planet. We never claimed we could compete with them. In Barcelona, we all get a new front wing,” he concluded optimistically. “Perhaps that means the cards will be reshuffled.”
