Ferrari have shown impressive form since Monza, proving they have a competitive car pace. The two races before the Brazilian GP were exceptional, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz securing victories. In Austin, Ferrari delivered a dominant 1-2 finish, highlighting their strong momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.
However, the last race of the triple-header didn’t turn out the same, as Ferrari faced challenges that disrupted their form. The team, which is currently in second place in the Constructors’ Championship, had a tough time at the Brazilian GP. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s cars struggled to get their tires warm, especially at the start of the race and after safety car periods.
This made it difficult for the drivers to control the car and go fast. Leclerc blamed himself for picking up the wrong setup, which he deemed to be the major issue that made it hard for him to perform well. However, team principal Fred Vasseur disagreed with him.
[Charles] is always the first to blame himself, I am not so sure though that he is responsible for the set-up. It was a difficult Sunday, but overall the weekend was not dramatic. We underestimated the loss of time when exiting the pits, which was very slippery.
Fred Vasseur said, as reported by Formulapassion. itVasseur also explained that they regretted deciding to have a pit stop without waiting for the red flag. This led to chaos, as Leclerc rejoined the track in traffic and lost time.
To make matters worse, Sainz crashed out of the race at turn 7. A couple of tenths were enough to lose the position. In terms of the economy of the race, however, I don’t think it was decisive, because the following lap we would have made the stop under the Virtual Safety Car.
Fred Vasseur addedRELATEDSergio Perez reveals key reason behind his ‘DISASTER’ of a weekend at Brazilian GPFred Vasseur acknowledges the Interlagos was difficult for Ferrari to competeInterlagos proved to be a challenging track and Fred Vasseur openly admitted that he knew this. Brazil is renowned for its unpredictable weather, particularly its heavy rainfall and the wet conditions on track. Fred Vasseur (via IMAGO)Both Ferrari cars lacked grip and struggled to adapt to the changing track conditions.
Despite this, Vasseur preferred to stay positive as the team didn’t lose many points in the standings, which is crucial for their overall goals. We knew that this track would be difficult for us and that it would have favored McLaren more . In the end, however, we did not lose too many points.
On the other hand, we want to score points, not lose them. There will be better weekends, it is not a drama. Probably the next race in Las Vegas will go better for us.
Fred Vasseur explainedRELATED‘Devastated’ Lewis Hamilton wants accountability for Mercedes’ horrendous run in 2024There is still a 36-point gap to leaders McLaren in their pursuit of the Constructors’ Championship. Ferrari has not won it since 2008 and hence it remains crucial for them to do everything they can to overturn the deficit by the end of the season.