This is why Ferrari's team principal feels under threat from McLaren

F1 News

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur on threat from McLaren and mistakes
11 June at 21:00
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  • Toby Nixon

Ferrari had a dismal weekend in Canada, as they suffered their first double DNF since the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Rivals McLaren gained on the second-placed  Scuderia and current leaders Red Bull extended their championship lead. Ferrari's team principal, Fred Vasseur, was disappointed with his team's weekend. Now that the top of the field is tight, the Frenchman said it is essential Ferrari does not have another weekend like this again.  

Speaking to GPblog and others in the paddock, Vasseur explained just how important it is to not make any minor errors now that the top teams are battling for every race win. "You have six or eight cars in one-tenth, sometimes two-tenths. I remember a couple of qualifyings in Imola we had three cars in one thousand. Yesterday, one and two, they were in the same thousand or the same hundred. If you don't have the perfect weekend, you can't be in front. In terms of operation, pit stops, strategy, you can't make a mistake," said Vasseur, who watched both of his drivers retire from the Canadian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc retired due to an engine fault, and Carlos Sainz had to retire due to damage suffered in a crash after spinning in front of Alex Albon's Williams.

Optimistic Vasseur says Ferrari will be 'back next week'

Speaking about his own team's unfortunate fate in Canada, Vasseur said: "I think that on the inside of the garage, the fact that we lost so much horsepower at the beginning (Leclerc). Then you can try to survive. You expect the red flags. But it's always by default. And in this kind of situation, in the fight with the competitors that you have, you can't do racing by default. We'll be back next week." Concluded Ferrari's team principal.

Ferrari will be looking to bounce back at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, a track where they haven't won since Fernando Alonso triumphed at home in 2013. McLaren now trails Ferrari by just 40 points as Formula 1 heads into its European leg.