Uphill pursuit
L’great opportunity the Mexican Grand Prix had provided it, but it was wasted. On the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez la double achieved by Ferrari in qualifying had made people think that the red car could really manage to close the gap on Mercedes in the Constructors’ ranking, reopening the race for second place even further. Instead, thanks to a bad start and the difficulty in managing the tires especially in the last stint, the Ferraris slipped back, allowing the black-silver arrows to leave Mexico City still with 22 points ahead.
Now they just stay three weekends before the end of the championship: Brazil, the unknown Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi. With the exception of the new Nevada circuit, the other two are tracks that, historically, suit Mercedes better than Ferrari. Also for this reason, the Maranello team principal himself presented the Interlagos trip Frederic Vasseur he confessed little hope of a comeback in the standings. “In the last two races we brought home two podiums and we were the team that collected the most points among those fighting for second place, even if the values are very close and it seems clear how to close the gap that separates us from second position is always very difficult“.
Brazilian challenge
The French manager then analyzed what will be the last round of the complex American hat-trick: the Brazilian GP. “In Sao Paulo we will be committed tolast Sprint weekend of the season – Vasseur recalled – the third in the last four Grands Prix. The two most recent races, in Austin and Mexico City, saw us shine in qualifying, with two consecutive pole positions for Charles and the all-Ferrari front row last Sunday, while in the race we still proved vulnerable to attacks by our rivals“.
“What we are certainly ready to guarantee in Brazil too is the maximum commitment from all of us – concluded the number one of the red wall – we expect that Mercedes will be very competitive, but on our part we must continue to work on ourselves, to grow and improve in every aspect, especially in tire management and race strategies. Carlos and Charles, like the whole team, in Brazil as in Maranello, are very motivated: we don’t want to stop until the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi“.
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