Ferrari as soon as once more missed out on the rostrum in Bahrain – a outcome that appeared inside attain till the Security Automobile nullified the strategic benefit constructed as much as that time. Fred Vasseur defended the choice to suit exhausting tyres throughout these moments, slightly than the softs which turned out to be more practical on George Russell’s Mercedes. The Group Principal additionally expressed his assist for Lewis Hamilton, acknowledging the difficulties he’s dealing with in adapting to the Ferrari.
The reasoning behind the technique
“We had no selection between the exhausting or used gentle beneath the Security Automobile, not less than from our perspective,” Fred Vasseur defined, placing into context the choice to suit the exhausting compound, which later proved underwhelming. “I feel even Russell at one level thought of it very bold to go for twenty-four laps, however ultimately it paid off. The monitor was a bit cooler and extra rubbered in.” The Group Principal additionally defended the crew’s general strategy to the race: “I feel the preliminary technique was good. Within the first stint we paid the value, having to stretch it a bit, however then the tempo was actually robust and it may have been an awesome race if not for the Security Automobile. However we will’t complain, that’s a part of the sport.”
“With out the Security Automobile, we may have chosen between the gentle and exhausting for the ultimate stint, however with the neutralisation and 24 laps remaining, the gentle was now not an choice for us. The entire race was a bit chaotic when it comes to technique. There are races the place 90% of the grid does precisely the identical factor, and others the place it’s not like that. Antonelli had fitted the softs earlier than the Security Automobile, that means he would have needed to do three stops. We’re nonetheless taking our first steps with these compounds, I feel we’re all nonetheless flying a bit blind. That’s a part of the sport, and I feel McLaren is by far the most effective on this.”
Assist for Lewis
Fred Vasseur then turned to Lewis Hamilton’s ongoing adaptation struggles: “I perceive his frustration on Saturday night. Should you have a look at the free follow periods, Q1 and Q2, he was all the time a few tenth off Charles. Then in Q3 his first lap was deleted, and within the second he made a mistake. That’s irritating, for each him and us. However on Sunday he fought again properly to complete fifth. His race tempo was practically on par with the highest three. For me, that was nice – he was very aggressive. These days, although, should you go away 2 or 3 tenths on the desk in qualifying due to a mistake, you lose 6 or 7 positions.”
The Frenchman urges persistence earlier than judging Lewis Hamilton’s integration at Ferrari: “You don’t change 12 years of collaboration in 2 weeks or 2 races. We undoubtedly want to enhance, however that applies to everybody within the crew and within the paddock – it’s within the DNA of our sport. It’s good that Lewis has the mindset of wanting to enhance and adapt to the automotive. We’ll work to adapt the automotive to him, however he additionally has to take a step. I feel we’re doing all this in a really constructive approach collectively.” – the French supervisor identified on the finish of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“I favored that he was a bit down on Saturday. Should you qualify eighth and say ‘it’s a disgrace’, it means you’re upset – as a result of the entire weekend had been going significantly better. […] I appreciated his response on Saturday. I did my finest to push him, and on Sunday he was in nice form. We’ll choose up from there subsequent week.”
Looking forward to upcoming races
Regardless of encouraging indicators when it comes to race tempo, Bahrain confirmed the boundaries of the SF-25: “Should you have a look at the season common, I feel we’re lacking 2, 3 or 4 tenths. We’re missing one thing. We now have to maintain working. Aerodynamic load is a part of that hole.” The important thing, in response to Fred Vasseur, shall be to maintain a stage head: “We have to keep calm. We now have highs and lows, like everybody. The issue is that for us the highs are increased, and the lows simply as low. If we wish to preserve a constant strategy – as we’ve completed very properly during the last 2 years – we’ve to remain calm and enhance hundredth by hundredth. I’m satisfied we’ll do the identical good work we’ve completed over the previous 2 years.”
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