Vasseur thinks Red Bull can be overtaken, but 'shouldn't be our focus'
- GPblog.com
Ferrari has announced it will bring upgrades to the Australian Grand Prix, although the team does not want to make clear exactly what kind of upgrades yet. By Motorsport.com, team boss Frederic Vasseur discusses the changes and analyses whether the gap to Red Bull can still be closed.
Ferrari had a particularly competitive car in 2022, and therefore, the team was expected to battle Red Bull for the title again in 2023. With Vasseur at the helm as the new team boss and a better understanding of aerodynamics rules, the future seemed brightfor Ferrari.
For now, however, there is little sign of that. In the first race, Charles Leclerc was forced to retire, and subsequent repairs earned him a 10-place grid penalty. And Carlos Sainz had to beat not only both Red Bulls on track, but also Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin. In Saudi Arabia, both Ferrari drivers fell even further back and had to settle for places six and seven.
According to Vasseur, Red Bull is not untouchable
As a result of their poor start, Ferrari are bringing upgrades to the next race, the Australian Grand Prix. However, Vasseur made it clear that these upgrades are not necessarily a result of the result in Jeddah. The upgrades were seemingly in the pipeline for some time and are, therefore, not targeted at one specific part.
Vasseur was asked if he thinks the gap to Red Bull can still be closed. The Ferrari team boss thinks it is still possible, although he does not think it should be the team's main focus. "It is not the right attitude to say: can we close the gap? The focus should be on ourselves and that we know when we are weak and where we need to improve."