At the start of 2023, Mattia Binotto gave way to Frederic Vasseur as the leader of Ferrari. Even though he joined the project too late to make a big impact on the 2023 car, his restructuring efforts did begin to show progress after the summer break. Although a few improvements remained a contributing aspect, Vasseur’s introduction of a more aggressive and risk-oriented strategy at Maranello was the primary catalyst for this revival. Moreover, Vasseur’s plan to overhaul the 2024 car remained an essential factor in Ferrari’s attempt to narrow the gap with Red Bull. In light of these significant efforts by the Frenchman, Charles Leclerc was seen showering praise on him.
In a conversation with Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle, Leclerc said, “I think we’ve already seen the benefits of it in the second part of last year and now our target is to start on the good momentum we finished the last year and to do all the steps forward in hopefully fighting for the title as soon as possible.”
Leclerc continued to be enthralled with Vasseur’s plan to support Ferrari in the lead-up. Regarding the same, the Monegasque claimed that Vasseur since his arrival in the team had had a very ambitious target. While justifying Vasseur’s approach, the 26-year-old said that this is precisely how the vision should be when an individual is in charge of a legendary team like Ferrari.
Indeed, Vasseur seems to have guided Ferrari quite well. For instance, the Prancing Horse trailed Red Bull by a significant margin in the previous season, as per Leclerc, now trails them by just three to four-tenths. Therefore, assuming Ferrari’s development continues in the right direction, the team will be competing against the formidable Red Bull.
Frederic Vasseur expresses ‘positivity’ regarding Ferrari’s chances of taking on Red Bull
Last year Ferrari remained the only team to beat Red Bull, in what was their most formidable season. Unfortunately, the team’s persistent tire issue prevented them from adding any more victories to their record. Nevertheless, this year the team seems to be in control of the way Ferrari has treated their Pirelli tires. Considering that Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has expressed his positive outlook about his team’s chances for the rest of the year.
While elaborating on it, Vasseur said, as quoted by GP Fans, “In quali they have perhaps two/three tenths on us, and in the race a bit more. But the feeling is more positive that, if you come back in this region, you know if you do a step, you can put some pressure on them.”
Subsequently, Vasseur added, that the team isn’t in a hopeless situation like when they were a second behind Red Bull. Rather, Vasseur thinks his team can defeat the Red Bull if they get off to a strong start.
It’s interesting to note that Australia will host the next race, where Ferrari may have the best chance of upsetting Red Bull. How? There won’t be many lengthy straights at the Albert Park track, and instead there will be plenty of medium-speed corners. Therefore Ferrari can use these corners to their advantage.
