Ferrari concluded the 2023 season with a compelling finish, narrowly falling short of their goal to secure second place in the Constructors’ Championship. Interestingly Charles Leclerc’s outstanding performances in the final few races played a crucial role in Ferrari’s strong conclusion. His daring last-lap move at Las Vegas to take P2 ahead of Perez and his thrilling battle with George Russell at the Abu Dhabi GP were some of the notable events. Recognizing these swift improvements, Ferrari boss, Frederic Vasseur, expresses confidence in the team’s gradual development, foreseeing a future where they can surpass Red Bull’s achievements.
After the Abu Dhabi GP, Frederic Vasseur discussed his team’s progress in a motorsports interview. According to the Frenchman, Ferrari has shown brilliance in the last few races where they have consistently challenged the formidable Red Bull. Considering this the 55-year-old said, “We’ve done very well in the last 7, 8 races and sometimes we’ve even struggled with the Red Bulls.”
Subsequently, Vasseur acknowledged the team’s early and mid-season challenges. However, despite these setbacks, the team experienced a remarkable resurgence after the summer break, with Sainz even securing a victory in Singapore.
In light of these facts, Vasseur shared his observations, noting that while Red Bull may have appeared invincible in the past, the motorsport landscape has now changed. In his conversation, the Ferrari boss said, ” We struggled at the beginning of the season and in the middle part. If we see where we were 5 months ago, They[Red Bull] were on another planet. Now things are different.”
How does Ferrari plan on challenging Red Bull in 2024?
Red Bull’s supremacy from the previous season was even more pronounced in 2023 as the team clinched victory in 21 out of 22 races. Remarkably, Ferrari stood as the sole team to beat Red Bull, securing a win at the Singapore GP with Sainz. They also narrowed the gap to them significantly, once the second half of the season kicked off.
Considering these improvements, Motorsports.com asked Vasseur about his strategy to overcome the challenge posed by Red Bull, and he provided a noteworthy response Initially, the 55-year-old asserted that a complete overhaul for his team is unnecessary. He said, “We won’t have to turn everything upside down in 2024. When you’re 3, or 4 tenths behind, I mean, Red Bull don’t have a magic wand either.”
However, he later underlined that rather than making big changes, the team should focus on improvement. He said, ” We lost a lot of points because of reliability, track operations, impeding. We don’t have to focus on just one area. If we found ourselves concentrating on doing that, it would be wrong.”
Additionally, Vasseur highlighted a positive outlook in their battle against Red Bull, stating his determination to maximize every aspect of the team. However, as he wrapped up his comments, the Frenchman mentioned that the team had already seen progress in specific areas this year and would continue with the same approach in the following year.
