Formula 1 British GP
Ferrari hoping for F1 "sanity check" in British GP
Vasseur is positive about Ferrari's performance despite struggles in recent races.
Ewan Gale Ben Hunt
Edited: Jul 2, 2024, 2:43 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Team boss Fred Vasseur hopes Ferrari can perform a "sanity check" when Formula 1 returns to its traditional weekend format at the British Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz picked up his first podium since Monaco at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, with team-mate Charles Leclerc hamstrung by early damage to his front wing that resulted in an unscheduled pitstop for repairs.
The performance followed a weekend in Spain where the duo failed to make an impression on the podium positions as it slipped behind Mercedes, while both drivers endured a miserable time at the Canadian Grand Prix last month.
Yet while Sainz's finish at the Red Bull Ring provides optimism of a rebound, the fact it came after Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collided when battling for the lead means the results of the sprint, where the Spaniard finished fifth and Leclerc seventh, were more representative.
Both drivers have complained about different problems they have in driving the car in recent races but when asked about the issues faced by the team, Vasseur gave a more positive outlook on its fortunes.
"The word issue is a big one," he said.
"[In qualifying] when we arrived at Turn 3, we were one-tenth in advance on Norris. It means that if we close the lap - and I know that we have to close the lap - I think the perception of this is completely different.
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal and General Manager, Scuderia Ferrari
Photo by: Ferrari
"But for sure, even when you get pole position and even when you win the race, you have issues on the car. If you don't have an issue, you are at the beginning of the end.
"With their driving styles and so on, they can have different [issues]. But we changed the car massively between Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon and I think it was better.
"We changed a little bit the weakness of the car from corner to corner, but I think overall, we are there."
Teams were afforded just one practice session to prepare for competition in Austria but, with the format reverting for the return to Silverstone, Vasseur wants to use the extra practice to confirm his beliefs.
"I think it will be helpful for us to have FP1 and FP2 in Silverstone, also if the weather is good, to do a sanity check on everything," he explained.
"But strangely I'm not negative on the performance - strangely because we were in the race, we are far away from Max. But I had the feeling that we were able to get more."
Read Also:
Formula 1Ferrari F1 upgrade could have triggered high-speed bouncing woes, says Sainz
Formula 1How the latest Mercedes tweak played its part in Austria F1 win
Formula 1Ten things we learned at the 2024 F1 Austrian Grand Prix
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article JA on F1 Podcast: Hill on Norris silencing critics
Next article Horner: McLaren criticism of Verstappen "wrong and unfair"
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Ewan Gale
Why Christian Horner banned Mercedes' name as Red Bull built its own F1 engine
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Why Christian Horner banned Mercedes' name as Red Bull built its own F1 engine
F1's top 10 closest finishes after George Russell holds off Max Verstappen's late Baku challenge
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
F1's top 10 closest finishes after George Russell holds off Max Verstappen's late Baku challenge
Why struggling F1 teams can't follow Ferrari's aggressive upgrade plan
Formula 1
Formula 1
Why struggling F1 teams can't follow Ferrari's aggressive upgrade plan
More from
Ferrari
Ferrari promotes F2 racer to F1 reserve driver role
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Ferrari promotes F2 racer to F1 reserve driver role
The six drivers doing double duty in Portimao GTWCE and Barcelona WEC this weekend
WEC
WEC
Barcelona
The six drivers doing double duty in Portimao GTWCE and Barcelona WEC this weekend
Latest news
Ryan Blaney kind of faces a must-win scenario this weekend at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
12 min
Ryan Blaney kind of faces a must-win scenario this weekend at Phoenix
Catching Larson in the NASCAR Chase has to start at track where 'I suck'
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
1 h
Catching Larson in the NASCAR Chase has to start at track where 'I suck'
Verstappen charges from 24th to ninth as GetSpeed wins Portimao GTWC finale
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
WCEE GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 2 h
Verstappen charges from 24th to ninth as GetSpeed wins Portimao GTWC finale
Colton Herta “maybe underestimated the difference” from IndyCar – F2 boss
FIA F2
F2 FIA F2 6 h
Colton Herta “maybe underestimated the difference” from IndyCar – F2 boss
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe