(Motorsport-Total.com) – After the victory in Silverstone, confidence is growing at Ferrari. Nevertheless, team principal Frederic Vasseur still does not want to hear anything about a possible title fight. Instead, the Frenchman calls for patience and points out that a single strong weekend does not yet allow any conclusions about the further course of the season.
Read more Why Ferrari continues to refuse to think about the World Championship title
When asked what insights Ferrari would take from the successful weekend back to Maranello and whether a world championship battle against Mercedes was now developing, Vasseur deliberately dampened expectations.
“The title fight is your wording. After Barcelona, it was said that Ferrari was back in the title fight. I said ‘No’. A week later, it was said that Ferrari was nowhere. I said ‘No’ again,” said the Frenchman.
“Now we were on the front row. I will take exactly the same stance tomorrow. We had a good weekend. Now we focus on Spa. That does not mean we are champions now. But we are also not nowhere. We improve step by step.”
Ferrari does not want to be blinded by success
Basically, Vasseur does not draw far-reaching conclusions after individual races. “I never try to draw a conclusion after one or two races, after a good or bad result. I only focus on achieving more and doing better. That applies to me as well as to everyone at the factory. Talking about the title fight is your job. I have never done that.”
Although Lewis Hamilton is now only 32 points behind the lead after the race, Vasseur still sees Mercedes slightly ahead.
“Let’s focus on Belgium and have a good race there. If you look at the six or seven sessions this weekend, Mercedes was probably ahead in five of them. We just had a good race. Over the distance, the start and strategy suit us better. In the sprint, almost only pure pace counts. Overall, Mercedes still has a slight performance advantage. It will be difficult.”
Why Silverstone is not a benchmark for Spa
The strong performance in Silverstone is also not easily transferable to Belgium: “Not necessarily. Silverstone depends more on the engine than Spain two weeks ago. At the same time, we had windy conditions for the first time and a car that was limited at the front axle. The characteristics of the track were completely different. It’s not just about the engine. We did good work in all these areas.”
Silverstone: Driver ratings by Marc Surer and the editorial team
“But Spa will be a new challenge, if only because of the weather. We have to start from scratch every weekend. There is no magic. No one suddenly finds five or six tenths from one weekend to the next. The difference is made by many small improvements,” the Ferrari team principal continued.
Hamilton praises Ferrari’s development
Hamilton is also impressed by Ferrari’s development, although he was not completely satisfied after an intense race with George Russell and Max Verstappen.
“It looks like we can keep up. I don’t know exactly what happened to Kimi. The team is doing a phenomenal job. We still have to catch up a bit to close the gap in pure performance. But two wins for the team this year are simply fantastic.”
The speed in Silverstone was even surprising for Ferrari: “It’s great to see what pace we had this weekend on such a track. We definitely did not expect that. A strong weekend as a team and taking many points is something very special. A big thank you to the entire team.”
Read more Efficiency and «Intuition»: How Aston Martin Uses AI in Formula 1
Consistency should make the difference
Hamilton especially highlighted the progress in the team’s processes. “We knew before the season that we had to improve our processes and the way we run race weekends. Everyone gives their best. The mechanics do a great job during pit stops and hard work has also been done at the factory to achieve this consistency. That will ultimately make the difference,” the Briton said satisfied.
“We are also seeing more engine problems this season than usual. I don’t know the exact background with George and Kimi, but penalties will probably follow at some point. For us, it will be crucial to maintain this consistency, take as many points as possible, and get the maximum out of every weekend, even if we can’t win once in a while.”
Charles Leclerc also does not want to overestimate the performance in Silverstone despite his victory. The Monegasque rather speaks of a positive surprise, the causes of which Ferrari must first understand.
“It is still too early to say. The biggest surprise was not the victory, but our overall performance. We were much faster than expected. Just as we have to analyze when something goes significantly worse than expected, we also have to understand why it went significantly better. Before the weekend, we assumed at least five or six tenths deficit. Instead, we won. That is a very special feeling.”
The focus is already on Spa
With a view to Belgium, Leclerc also does not want to make predictions: “I don’t focus on whether we can win. For me, it’s about finding that good feeling in the car again. When I have that feeling, I am convinced I can get the maximum out of the car. If not, it will be more difficult.”
“Of course, as a team we are working hard to challenge Mercedes. Before Silverstone, we even expected Spa to be even more difficult. After this victory, we might be closer than we thought. But first, we have to understand why this weekend went so much better than expected. That’s why I focus on the process and on getting the maximum out of the car,” Leclerc continued.
Hamilton sees progress in setup
Hamilton also looks optimistically to the upcoming race in Spa-Francorchamps and sees progress in technical development. “So far, we have made great progress. Before this weekend, the simulator said we should start with a completely different setup. However, my engineers and I decided to stick to our usual direction.”
How many Formula 1 races all Ferrari drivers needed until their first win
“Charles started with the setup recommended by the simulator but later also switched to my direction. It’s good to see that the path I suggested is paying off. Now we have to continue working on it, make further changes, and bring new updates. Spa will be a different challenge because of the long straights, but I myself have to do a better job there than this weekend,” the 41-year-old Briton explained self-critically.
Ralf Schumacher sees Ferrari on the right track
Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher also sees Ferrari now significantly more stable than a year ago: “We actually didn’t even congratulate him for it. Last year, it all looked very different,” said the Sky expert.
“Back then, the team was under enormous pressure. The things he changed now seem to be working. Lewis Hamilton works well with the team and everything is developing in the right direction. Ferrari can fight for a world championship again. That was a long time ago.”
Despite growing optimism inside and outside the team, Ferrari remains true to its line. The racing team does not want to be blinded by individual successes and instead consistently focuses on the next development steps and the upcoming race weekend in Belgium.
Read more Efficiency and «Intuition»: How Aston Martin Uses AI in Formula 1