“We Have Another Opportunity”- Frederic Vasseur ‘Trusts’ Charles Leclerc to Beat Max Verstappen and Win Azerbaijan GP

After a slow start to the 2023 season, Ferrari is finally showing some strong pace in Baku. Charles Leclerc finished ahead of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to grab the pole position for the Azerbaijan GP and followed it up with another impressive display in the sprint shootout.

Even though Leclerc wasn’t able to hold on to the P1 position and finished second in the F1 sprint race, team principal Frederic Vasseur feels he has a great chance of getting the win on Sunday. When it comes to one-lap pace, Ferrari has shown enough to prove that they are faster than Red Bull. What the Italian team needs to work on is their race pace.

As reported by Motorsport Italy, Vasseur noted that Red Bull’s top speed in the straights is much more than Ferrari’s, which is vital on a track like the Baku Street Circuit. The RB19’s straight-line speed with the DRS opened seemed like a “space rocket” to Vasseur but the Frenchman insists that they still have an opportunity and that Leclerc will be fighting for the win on Sunday.

Vasseur explains why Charles Leclerc wasn’t able to pass Perez

Leclerc got off to a good start in the sprint race, but after the safety car restart, Perez got the better of him. The Mexican driver breezed past Leclerc with his DRS open on the main straight and comfortably coasted toward his win.

Despite his best efforts to close the gap to Perez, Leclerc was unable to do so. Vasseur revealed that Leclerc pushed too hard after losing his place to Perez initially. This burnt out his tyres and prevented him from making a final push in the closing stages.

For Sunday’s Grand Prix, Vasseur expects Perez to hold on to the first position longer, which will help him avoid the ‘dirty air’, something that reportedly affected his sprint race.

Vasseur optimistic about Ferrari’s chances

Ferrari’s start to the 2023 season hasn’t been ideal, and they had just 26 points under their belt heading into the Azerbaijan GP. However, Leclerc’s pole position gives them hope of leaving Baku with a strong points haul. According to Vasseur, the signs were optimistic in their favor, even during the previous round in Melbourne.

“Already in Melbourne the pace was much better,” he said. “Even if we had not been able to put everything together in the race ending out of the points.”

Vasseur acknowledges the superior pace of Red Bull heading into the 2023 Azerbaijan GP, but trusts Leclerc enough to get the job done. He assures the Tifosi that both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have an opportunity to get their season back on track.