Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur believes that the intense competition among the teams trailing Red Bull has made it easier to experience a sudden drop in performance in the 2024 Formula 1 season. The Italian team has emerged as the most consistent challenger to Red Bull in the early stages of the season, securing five podium finishes and a 1-2 result in Australia. However, Ferrari had a disappointing weekend in China as McLaren unexpectedly emerged as a strong competitor, splitting the Red Bulls with Lando Norris. With Ferrari finishing fourth and fifth, Vasseur admits that the team was unable to fully utilize the potential of their SF-24 car. Vasseur acknowledges that the narrow margins separating the four teams behind Red Bull in the standings mean that any underperformance during a weekend will be punished. When asked if the balance of power would have been different without the Sprint format, Vasseur responded, “There is no typical weekend. From the start of the season, we knew that the competition among our rivals is very tight. Sometimes Max Verstappen may be a bit faster, but we have a group of six or seven cars within one-tenth of each other. In yesterday’s qualifying, there was only one-tenth of a second between P2, P3, P8, or P9. This means that small details can make a huge difference, turning a hero into a zero.” Ferrari struggled with tire warm-up in the cooler temperatures of Shanghai, which affected both drivers’ performance in the first sector. Charles Leclerc qualified sixth and Carlos Sainz qualified seventh. Both drivers lost two positions at the start, and Vasseur admits that getting caught in the turbulence of other cars had a negative impact on Ferrari’s race pace. Starting from ninth position made the race even more challenging due to the dirty air in the early laps. Even if they were faster, overtaking was difficult without a significant gap. Additionally, the tires suffered damage in the first 10 laps, making it difficult to maintain competitiveness throughout the race. Vasseur emphasizes the importance of putting everything together and avoiding mistakes in this highly competitive group. He acknowledges that Ferrari did not have a clean weekend and made too many errors, knowing that in this group of teams, perfection is required to achieve success.
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