F1 | Vasseur: “Gran Ferrari in the race. Our problem is Saturday”

If yesterday after qualifying there was a bit of disappointment with a classification that had highlighted some of Ferrari's difficulties in preparing the tires on the flying lap, in particular in the first sector with medium-high speed corners where it is necessary to have a reactive car, the strengths of the SF-24 emerged in the race.

As seen in the first three events, long-distance management is realistically not at the level of Red Bull, but it is enough to keep its rivals behind in the fight for the role of second force. Suzuka was probably one of the most difficult tracks for the Maranello car, given the peculiarities of this track, but in the race the gap was reduced and the elements emerged that allowed us to achieve a nice podium ahead of both McLarens.

Clearly the Woking team lent a hand, planning a strategy that was not entirely convincing, so much so that Lando Norris himself, fighting for third place, was unable to explain why the team decided to bring the teams forward so much. two stops, in particular bearing in mind that the team had maintained two sets of hard specifically to guarantee greater tactical flexibility.

On the contrary, the Red team played strategy very well on two fronts. On the one hand with Sainz he followed the two-stop tactic, which on paper was the most effective, on the other he was able to read the race with Leclerc well in real time by varying the strategy: in reality, it was the Monegasque himself who proposed a change in tactics, although in reality the Cavallino team itself was already evaluating two possible alternatives, specifically Plan B and Plan C.

This double strategy fit perfectly into the context of the mistakes made by McLaren, allowing Sainz to extend and create that delta in terms of tire life necessary to regain the podium in the end, while with Leclerc it meant that Norris essentially stopped in the same lap, thus managing to stay ahead of him in the final stint. What also made this double tactic possible was the Monegasque's good tire management in the first part of the race.

“I think it went well with both drivers, both the strategy and the tire management. If we missed something over the weekend it was yesterday, because we could have done something more, while today went very well. Carlos had a solid race while Charles made a good comeback from eighth place”, explained Frederic Vasseur to Sky's microphones at the end of the race, underlining on the one hand his satisfaction with today's race, while on the other his regret for not having realized more of his potential in qualifying.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“If there was something we could have done better it was qualifying. On Sunday the degradation was under control, and we were close to setting the fastest lap, but we need to improve qualifying, we are in an almost opposite situation compared to last year. Without a doubt we need to make some progress on Saturday, also from Charles because, when you start from eighth place it becomes more difficult than doing it from the front row.”

Equally fundamental, however, was going out in front of George Russell, because this gave Leclerc some breathing room, while Norris was then forced to overtake his compatriot. Ferrari was aware that the target for Leclerc, given a particularly long stint, would have been to manage the position on the McLaren driver himself.

Also for this reason it was decided not to hinder Sainz's overtaking by giving a team order, even if, as Vasseur rightly underlined, between the two riders of the Red team there was such a clear difference in terms of tire life that the maneuver would have been However, it arrived quickly. However, Leclerc was able to manage the final stint as best as possible, so much so that Norris was never really a real threat behind him. There were some moments in which he was around a second and a half behind the Monegasque, but the various overtaking phases increased the gap, giving Leclerc the chance to extend and build that little treasure that allowed him to manage with greater serenity. the latest rounds.

“I think the fastest strategy was the two-stop strategy. We decided to change Charles's track position and avoid traffic, but the most effective strategy was still the two-stop strategy. If we missed something compared to Perez it was in the first laps, when we had to give way to Norris so as not to stay too long in the dirty air. But I think it went well, the strategy was the right one”, explained Vasseur, illustrating the reasons that led to the change of strategy for Leclerc, before underlining how the team order was a very logical and simple choice, given that overtaking he would have arrived anyway.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“They weren't on the same strategy, so it was an easy decision. At that stage there was a clear difference in tyres, there was probably a second and a half difference in potential, there wasn't even a fight really. It was also clear to Charles that they were on two different strategies, which is why we made this choice. The race strategy was the best one, although obviously that doesn't mean that Charles's wasn't a good tactic.”

Up to this point in the world championship, Ferrari has not brought any major technical innovations, following a path already seen in previous years. For now, only small changes have been seen, such as a revised suspension arm cover, brought right here to Japan, unlike Red Bull, which presented itself with a more substantial package planned even before the start of the season. This approach on the part of the Red team is due to the need to better understand and optimize the car, with the updates that will arrive later in the world championship, realistically around the Imola stage.

“For now we are very focused on the car we have, in order to make the most of the package we have available. At the moment we are not yet at the optimal level, we need to focus on the set-up and tire management and then, later in the season, we will be able to bring some updates”, explained Vasseur.