Vasseur knows Ferrari have more to "maximise" in 2025, along with 'everybody else'

Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur knows that his team are not "maximising" their potential currently while also admitting the rest of the grid are not doing the same.

Ferrari have struggled to get themselves to the front of the grid this season, with Lewis Hamilton's sprint qualifying P1 and sprint race victory the only bits of joy the Scuderia have had so far in 2025.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc took P4 at Suzuka, but he was just over 16 seconds off the pace of Max Verstappen, who Vasseur believed to be the only one who maximised anything during the race weekend.

Hamilton could only manage P7 at the Japanese Grand Prix

Vasseur on Ferrari and the current situation

"I don't think that we maximised, but I think it's true for everybody, including the others," Vasseur explained after the Grand Prix in Japan.

"Probably they can find potential there, except perhaps Max during qualifying on Saturday. But the average picture is that we are two or three-tenths behind the pole position, and perhaps two or three-tenths behind in the Grand Prix. It's a good picture, and we have to work from there," the Frenchman continued.

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Ferrari have struggling to keep up with McLaren, who look to be the dominant team in 2025, along with Mercedes and Red Bull Racing in the constructor's championship. The Italian Scuderia, along with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, sit 35 points behind, with Vasseur knowing that improvement is needed.

I spoke 10 seconds with Charles after the race that he's back with the engineers, and I will have the debrief after. I think he's probably happier with the balance that he has on the car today and this weekend compared to last week. But we are still in the first phase of the car that we are improving weekend after weekend. I don't want to say that we are doing a step, because everybody is in the same situation," Vasseur concluded.

This article was written in collaboration with Estéban den Toom