F1 | Vasseur: “We expected more, but in the race it will be different”

It is a Ferrari that leaves Saturday in Montreal disappointed due to a sixth row with both cars which leaves a feeling of bitterness especially after a Friday in which the feeling within the team was very different. The drivers themselves had spoken of a competitive car in all conditions, both in the dry and in the wet, but on the real dry, that of qualifying, something didn’t work.

Frederic Vasseur did not hide his disappointment at a qualifying that did not give the desired results, not only in terms of positions, but also of pace, because clearly with two cars out in Q2 it cannot just be a problem of timing or qualifications management.

The choice to start the second heat with the new set unlike other rivals did not pay off, because it forced the Red team to use a used tire in the final part of Q2, when the track was in the best conditions, given the progressive improvement of the asphalt. However, according to the Red Team Principal, it is not just a question of new rubber, but of tire management in general.

“It didn’t turn out like we expected. We suffered a lot with the tires. We certainly weren’t the only ones, but that’s no consolation. Russell, for example, took pole position on used tires and in the end we couldn’t put everything together. Let’s focus on tomorrow, yesterday the race pace was good, both on the dry and wet tyres”, explained Vasseur to Sky.

Clearly, the soft trains are limited and one of the available ones can only be used for Q3. This is why Ferrari did not fit a new tire at the end of Q2. Unlike other opponents, who had chosen to keep the new set for the final minutes with a potentially better track, the Red team instead feared the risk of rain, putting on fresh tires at the start of the heat.

“We didn’t change it because the last one had to be used for Q3, we were all in the same situation, due to what happened this morning. Everyone only had one new set in Q2, except Mercedes [che aveva conservato un set di soft in più al venerdì, ndr], some decided to assemble a new set at the beginning, others at the end. But we didn’t have the chance to use that second set.”

Ferrari mechanics make a pit stop on Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Patrick Vinet / Motorsport Images

Vasseur underlined how the difficulties encountered by Ferrari are linked more to a question of tire management, especially with the tire warm-up, even if management which in the final minutes did not give the desired results did not help. For example, Leclerc did two consecutive hard laps, which clearly had a negative effect on the tyre, which he was unable to let go of before making his final attempt at a time when the track should have been in its best condition.

Difficulties in turning on the tires are nothing new for Ferrari this season and today, on a circuit that doesn’t feature many high-speed corners to put energy into the tyres, the Maranello team paid the price. Vasseur believes there are some specific factors, such as pressure management, but it is always a combination of various factors: “It is always a combination between the compound, the asphalt, the track temperature and the car set-up. Today, however, we were not in the right place at the right time, due to tire pressure and set-up, we need to understand better for the next qualifying sessions. Tomorrow’s race will be another story, because there you go over the long distance.”

“Yesterday in the wet we had good pace throughout the lap and it’s a different story, for sure, a lot of it is linked to tire pressure and things like that. However, on the race simulation, yesterday we were doing well with both the dry and wet tyres, so I think tomorrow will be a different story. We struggled to turn on the tires on the flying lap. We need to do a better job on this aspect for the next races,” added the Team Principal.