Frederic Vasseur shows his usual determination commenting on the Monaco Grand Prix. On the one hand, the Team Principal defends the strategies adopted in the race, while on the other he recognizes without hesitation the mistake made on Saturday which cost Charles Leclerc the second row. Vasseur also looks to the stage in Barcelona, where the Ferrari SF-23 will be equipped with new upgrades. In Spain there will also be the first tests with the reinforced Pirellis, which the Ferrari number one does not rule out could be a turning point.
Sainz’s race: priority for defense over Hamilton
Vasseur began by commenting on the Spanish driver’s race: “In the first stint we got stuck behind Ocon. Carlos has tried it a few times, but he’s been a little too optimistic. But I think we were in a good position and with decent pace. Then we lost the position to Russell because he extended the first stint and then when it rained we stopped one more time. We didn’t want to lose positions trying to extend the stint and we didn’t expect the track to be so wet. We know perfectly well, however, that for great results you have to take risks. We are not disappointed with our decisions”.
“I think it was a good strategy, because when we called him it was to cover for Hamilton”Vasseur continues. “Maintaining position on the track is crucial. We can then discuss when the rain came, where the fault was ours. I have no regrets about this though, because we haven’t lost any positions.” Carlos Sainz then fell to eighth place behind Pierre Gasly, however following the accident at Mirabeau.
Leclerc’s race: no bet on the rain
Charles Leclerc stopped later than his teammate, but the Ferrari wall decided not to stretch further to take advantage of the possible arrival of rain: “At that point in the race we had to stop to cover the others and not lose positions. We didn’t want to lengthen based on the weather forecast. In retrospect it is always easy to relive the race. At that point we didn’t know if it would actually rain and we risked losing the position to our opponents. The same goes for Carlos. He opened up on the radio asking why we hadn’t extended, but we were in a situation where we risked losing the place over Hamilton. We know that track position is crucial in Monaco. Even if your tires are in better shape, if you find yourself behind you stay there”.
Overall, Vasseur struggles to comment on the competitiveness of the SF-23 in the competition in the Principality: “It’s too early to talk. In the first part of the race it is hard to get a picture, because we were stuck behind Ocon and couldn’t understand the true potential of the car. Carlos joked a couple of times over the radio that he was very comfortable with him, but evidently Ocon was too. I have the feeling that at the end of the race when the track was drying we weren’t in a good condition, but I want to talk about it with the riders first.”
The Norris-Leclerc episode
“It was clearly a mistake on our part, because we were third and we started sixth,” Vasseur comments without hesitation about the impedance on Norris in qualifying. “However, we also have to consider the unfortunate circumstances, because if they happen anywhere on the track with the exception of the tunnel, they’re ok. But here Charles couldn’t see in the mirrors where Norris was. We made a mistake and it cost us a lot, because if we had started third it would have been another race”.
The Team Principal apologized to Leclerc on behalf of the team: “It’s tough for him, but also for the team. As you know, the Monaco race has been frustrating for Charles for a few years and yesterday’s qualifying was also tough. First he lost front row by two cents and then there was the Norris episode. What I can do is apologize on behalf of the team, figure out how to do a better job and improve communication between Charles and the wall. For our part, we can say that it also happened in an unfortunate spot like the tunnel. But if we want to improve we must avoid making excuseswe simply have to correct the mistakes”.
Upcoming developments
The group behind Red Bull continues to be incredibly compact, one more reason to continue development: “Max flies, but between second and eighth position we are talking about tenths. The pace in qualifying was generally okay though. We have to work on making the car a little more consistent and easier to drive in the race. This is the goal”. Vasseur had already anticipated that Ferrari would introduce small updates to every race between now and the summer. No plan therefore to bring large development packages as instead done by Mercedes, from which Vasseur is not scared: “We will see in the medium term. However, each team has its own opinions and approaches. Everyone has to develop the machine according to his own direction. We’ll see how it goes later in the season.”
In Monaco Haas introduced new front suspension mechanics, suggesting that Ferrari could do the same in Barcelona. However, Vasseur was enigmatic about it, replying with a smile: “No no, we will not introduce any updates on the front suspension”. In Barcelona, the old configuration will be raced again without the final chicane, increasing the loads on the tyres. However, tire degradation is not the main concern for Ferrari at the moment: “First we will have to focus on qualifying to make sure everything is working properly. Very often, however, the main problem hasn’t been tire degradation, but pure performance during the race. I am confident that we will fix it with the next updates”.
In closing, the Team Principal commented on the arrival of the new tires reinforced by Pirelli to cope with the levels of downforce already beyond expectations. The new specification will make its debut at Silverstone, but there will already be a first test in Barcelona during free practice: “It is always difficult to make predictions. It might even be the turning point for us in terms of the approach to find more texture. We’ll see after the tests how the situation will be.”
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