Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were unable to secure a top-three finish at the Chinese Grand Prix, unlike McLaren’s Lando Norris who finished in second place. Ferrari, on the other hand, has achieved a commendable second place in the constructors’ championship for the 2024 season. The Italian team has made efforts to reduce mistakes and close the gap to the dominant Red Bulls. However, they were unable to outperform their closest competitor, McLaren, during the Chinese race weekend. As a result, the team principal openly discussed the mistakes made in the development of the SF-24 car that led to their performance being overshadowed by McLaren.
The team principal did not hesitate to address the team’s shortcomings in comparison to McLaren. Vasseur emphasized that there were numerous mistakes made by his team, preventing Leclerc and Sainz from maximizing the potential of the SF-24 challenger. According to the 55-year-old, the team failed to fully exploit the car’s capabilities over the weekend.
In addition, Vasseur commented on the challenges faced at the Shanghai circuit after a five-year gap. He pointed out that the Sprint weekend posed difficulties in testing the car for optimal setup. The resurfaced track also caused problems for multiple drivers, including those from Ferrari. Despite this, Vasseur acknowledged that the team made mistakes during the preparation phase while their rivals performed much better.
Qualifying has traditionally been a strong point for the Scuderia during race weekends. However, the team encountered issues during the qualifying session at the Chinese GP. Neither Leclerc nor Sainz were able to secure a front-row start or a podium finish due to their weak qualifying positions. Vasseur admitted that the one-lap pace did not work in favor of the Italian team.
Furthermore, the team principal explained that starting further back on the grid resulted in tire wear issues for the drivers. The poor qualifying performance inadvertently affected the entire race for Leclerc and Carlos. However, Vasseur highlighted the positive aspect of the medium stint, stating that the team had control during that phase.
Therefore, Ferrari will analyze the data from the Chinese race weekend to identify the issues that led to their loss against McLaren. They will focus on improving the chassis in the upcoming week to deliver a stronger performance at the Miami Grand Prix. The team has shown that they are capable of challenging the dominant Red Bulls at the front of the grid.