Jun.22 (GMM) New boss Frederic Vasseur is putting a brave face on Ferrari’s latest troubled world championship campaign.
In Canada, Charles Leclerc lost his cool with his engineer on the radio for the botched tyre compound choice, but Frenchman Vasseur says a subsequent discussion has cleared up the controversy.
“We had a good discussion and he said ‘Ok, I was wrong,” he said.
“It was very calm, very constructive and very direct.”
Vasseur said Ferrari’s problems always seem to make headlines, but he insists every other team is also dealing with the same ups and downs.
“I’m sure Max (Verstappen) isn’t always happy either with the strategy or the setup,” he is quoted by the Spanish sports daily AS. “In this sport you always want more.
“I’m happy when Carlos (Sainz) and Charles come and say what needs to improve, even in themselves. They are always the first to take the blame.”
What is clear is that Ferrari’s recent upgrade package, after a mixed debut, is now starting to bear fruit – with Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko concerned that a good qualifying for Leclerc in Austria could spell trouble for Max Verstappen.
“It would be arrogant to say that we have progressed because I have joined the team,” Vasseur said. “I have made progress in understanding where we are weak and where we can improve as a team.
“From an external point of view we seem agile when it comes to fixing a problem overnight, but in reality, when you want to adjust the course of a ship a little bit we are not so agile anymore.
“For example, when you want to sign someone, you’re talking about years. I signed a top guy a few weeks ago who will join in 2025 to work on the 2025 and 2026 cars.
“But if you don’t do it now, the impact is delayed even more,” Vasseur added.