Charles Leclerc achieved a seventh-place finish, but his race was hindered by a problem with the wheel gun during a pitstop and a five-second penalty for exceeding the speed limit in the pitlane. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz, his teammate, could only manage to secure eighth place after a disappointing qualifying session that resulted in him starting from the 11th position.
Ferrari faced a challenging race at Silverstone, resulting in a ninth and tenth place finish. McLaren’s enhanced performance and a resurgent Mercedes team caused Ferrari to drop in the rankings.
“When asked about the team’s performance in the Hungarian race, Vasseur stated that although the results were not as expected, they were greatly affected by the compromised qualifying session, where they achieved P6 and P11.”
“At the beginning, we had to be daring and opted to use soft tires for [Sainz], which turned out to be a wise decision. However, we were aware that we would need to switch to two sets of hard tires after the race began, and it proved to be a challenging task.”
“I believe the race on Charles’ side was likely more exciting due to the fast pace. However, it was significantly hindered by the penalty and a problem with the wheel gun.”
“We incurred an additional eight-second delay during the pitstop, I believe, and then encountered traffic. It likely would have resulted in a position of P5.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Vasseur acknowledged that, apart from the particular mistakes made during the race, the team did not fully maximize their weekend strategy regarding the different tire allocation. This allocation presented a fresh challenge for all teams.
“I cannot reword”
“But I believe that on our part, the issue lies in the numerous errors we made throughout, encompassing not only the pitstop or pit entry, yesterday’s qualifying, or tire management, but more broadly.”
“The potential we had at the end was likely greater than what we demonstrated yesterday. However, today, particularly with Charles, we encountered a setback of 20 seconds during the race.”
When questioned about how he could rectify the errors, he responded, “Throughout my entire career, I have dedicated 35 years to the pitwall, and every Monday I have had to compile a list where numerous mistakes are noted.”
The visibility of it may vary, but the responsibility of the team principal is to create a list with team members and address any issues.
“I am completely honest in admitting that we will inevitably make errors. However, I believe it is accurate if you direct your inquiry to Toto [Wolff].”
Vasseur emphasized the importance of addressing the team’s qualifying performance as he evaluated his first half season leading Ferrari.
“It is not the anticipated outcome; undoubtedly, we had higher expectations,” he remarked. “Nevertheless, this is the reality we must face, and we must persevere.”
It seems that in qualifying, the margin behind Max is extremely tight, sometimes even on par with him. We need to make some progress, but we are not too distant from achieving that.
“In terms of race speed, Red Bull is significantly ahead of the competition. Additionally, we are aware that qualifying results are vital for securing a position in clear air.”
“All cars are greatly impacted by the polluted air. Once you initiate P2, you will be in a significantly improved condition.”
Leave a Reply