Although Ferrari got off to a bumpy start to the season, team principal Frederic Vasseur insists: We are in a better position than last year – you have to remain patient
Despite a mixed start to the 2025 Formula 1 season, Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur is confident. After the Japanese Grand Prix, the Frenchman emphasized that his team is on the right track. His assessment: a year ago, the gap was much wider.
When asked whether Ferrari is where they hoped to be at the beginning of the season, Vasseur responds pragmatically: “I didn’t spend the winter setting expectations like ‘we’ll be there or there by race one’.” Rather, it’s crucial to get the maximum out of the available material from the outset.
Looking ahead to 2024 supports his position: at the time, Ferrari was “on average around six-tenths of a second” behind the leaders at the start of the season – a significantly larger gap than it is today.
As the season progressed, the team fought their way closer, and that is the goal now. “We have to keep the same approach. It doesn’t matter how big the gap is, it doesn’t matter what today’s result is – we have to do a better job next week, increase the potential and exploit it better.”
Vasseur: “You don’t suddenly find four tenths”
The gap to the top is currently estimated at two to three tenths of a second. But Vasseur warns against the illusion of a “magic update”.
“There is no such thing as a magic trick that will give you three or four tenths,” says the team principal. ‘Most of the time, you improve because you improve ten different areas by two or three hundredths each, and you bring it all together. You improve the balance, you help the driver get the best out of it.’
But in the end, it’s always a tightrope walk. Regarding Charles Leclerc’s qualifying lap at Suzuka, Vasseur explains: “I honestly believe that we weren’t that far off, but it was very difficult for us – and probably for Leclerc too – to get a perfect lap.”
“He lost a tenth and a half in the last chicane and another tenth in the first corner. But that’s no excuse – I’m not saying we have the best car, not at all. It was the same for Piastri, and for everyone else too.“
”When you’re at a certain point, it’s quite difficult to get the maximum out of the car. And that’s something we need to work on as well – the driveability.“
”We all want to lower the car – but there are limits”
A recurring theme is the ride height. Ferrari also has problems getting the car as low as they would like without bottoming out.
“We all want to lower the car, we all want more downforce. But there are limits – physical limits and limits set by the regulations,” explains Vasseur. ‘And we all spend the weekend trying to find out where that limit is – we can lower the car a bit, and then we’re too low.’
Especially on tracks with bumps or high curbs, the teams reach their limits here. “It’s the same for everyone, and we all know that with this type of car, performance is closely related to ground clearance,” says Vasseur.
So it’s not a Ferrari-specific problem. “It’s not a characteristic of our car this year or a special feature of Ferrari – it’s the same for everyone.”
Ferrari wants to stay true to its approach
When asked how difficult it is to keep the team happy after another missed opportunity to get the season off to a strong start, Vasseur replies with a twinkle in his eye: “I’m amused because it’s been the same for the last two years.”
“Of course it’s not ideal – and I’d rather win the first race than finish fifth,” admits the Frenchman. “But on the other hand, we can’t change our approach from last year.“ Back then, the situation was similar, ‘maybe even a little worse,’ he says.
”And the team’s response was very, very strong. We worked as a team, making small improvements step by step – and that’s exactly what we have to do again.”
