Vasseur sees Mercedes improve but promises 'picture will change in Austria'

Fred Vasseur expects the situation between Mercedes and Ferrari to change at the Austrian Grand Prix. He has asked his Ferrari team to remain calm about Mercedes' sudden progress over the last two races in Canada and Spain.

George Russell secured Mercedes' first podium finish of the year in Canada, following a pole position a day earlier. Lewis Hamilton then backed that up at the Spanish Grand Prix with his first podium finish of the season. Both Ferrari cars were behind after, sometimes successfully, challenging Red Bull for wins earlier in the season.

The recent form guide would suggest Mercedes have got the better of the Italian team, but Vasseur wants to pump the brakes. "Before drawing any conclusion like this, we have to stay calm," he told his Ferrari team.

"We have to take it event by event. In Austria it will be a completely different format [sprint weekend], different different types of corners, also. We will have another picture, which will probably be completely different," he added.

Vasseur went on to highlight the ever-changing situation in Formula 1 at the moment, which has seen McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull take pole in the last four races. "I'm not sure that you can find over the last 10 years four consecutive events with four different guys in pole position and four different teams. It's not crystal clear that one is better than the other," Vasseur explained.

Vasseur will also be hoping for calmness from his drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The two ended up racing each other last weekend in Barcelona, which included contact and a few small digs in interviews after the race.