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Ferrari the favourite? Vasseur: 'Need to find more lap time vs McLaren'
Ferrari are currently judged as McLaren's main rivals to the top prizes in the 2025 season of Formula 1. Thus the internal battle at the Scuderia between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc is a hot topic ahead of the season. However, although Vasseur highlights the priorities in 2025, he also sees that McLaren are ahead of the Italian team.
Hamilton and Leclerc, should the SF-25 be up to the task will fight for the Drivers' championship this year. However, team principal, Vasseur, thinks whoever comes out on the duel's losing end will not be without merit, since the priorities lie elsewhere. "For me, the success of one does not mean the failure of the other because the two of them contribute to the success of the group. One may be champion, but the two will be united for the constructors’ championship,” says Vassuer to Autohebdo.
'We still need to find lap time'
Prior to winter testing in Bahrain, and after, some have ventured out predictions that place Ferrari as potential favourites to take both championships in 2025. "I think they’re forgetting McLaren," clarifies Vasseur. "Who are in a better position than us. This is the last year of the new regulations, and performance gains are harder and harder to come by."
"It’s true that we scored the most points in the last eight races of 2024, but they had a real performance advantage that they didn’t exploit as much as they should have because of small problems or missed opportunities."
"We have to manage to gain two or three-tenths more than them. If we can do that, we have every chance," concludes Vasseur.
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