After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur acknowledged both positive and negative aspects of Ferrari’s performance, comparing it to their performance in the same race last year.
Vasseur highlighted the smaller gap between Carlos Sainz’s third-place finish this year and Max Verstappen’s win, compared to last year’s race. He mentioned that last year, Ferrari finished 48.0 seconds behind the leader, while this year, they were 25.1 seconds adrift, indicating a significant improvement.
Despite the progress, Vasseur acknowledged the need for further improvement, especially in addressing issues like the brake problems encountered by Charles Leclerc during the race. He praised Leclerc’s performance in managing the situation and securing fourth place.
Regarding the brake issues, Vasseur explained the challenges faced by Leclerc due to temperature imbalances, which affected braking performance but were eventually resolved during the race.
Ferrari’s performance in Bahrain reflects progress from last year, particularly in addressing tire degradation issues. However, Vasseur stressed the need for further work to narrow the gap to front-runners like Red Bull.
While Ferrari appears to be the second-fastest team, Vasseur cautioned against complacency, noting the competitiveness of other teams like Mercedes, McLaren, and Aston Martin. He stressed the importance of focusing on continuous improvement and adapting to different tracks and conditions.
Looking ahead, Vasseur expressed optimism but emphasized the need for a clearer picture of Ferrari’s performance after more races, suggesting that the upcoming race in Jeddah and the Australian Grand Prix will provide better insights into their championship prospects.
Leave a Reply