After the Monaco Grand Prix, Formula 1 is preparing to land in Canada. In just over 7 days, with Ferrari and McLaren already securing victories this year, the Championship battle returns. The situation is very different from last season. The progress made by Fred Vasseur and Andrea Stella’s personnel is clear. However, the Ferrari team principal makes clear that complacency is unacceptable: “In F1, even when you’ve done well, you have to work to do better. If you feel like you’ve arrived, you’re dead,” he said.
The next races could give an even clearer idea of what type of season awaits us. Very technical circuits like Barcelona and Silverstone will shed light on the pecking order.
VASSEUR: “CLEAR HIERARCHY, CLOSE TOP TEAMS AND VALUES CAN CHANGE EASILY”
The values we saw on the track speak of a convergence between the three top teams – Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren – who have taken a certain margin from Mercedes and Aston Martin.
“If we look at Miami, Imola and Monaco, we are talking about a difference of a few tenths,” commented Vasseur.
In Maranello, after the progress made during the winter, which had already led to a recovery against the Milton Keynes team, they introduced a substantial package of innovations in Imola, which allowed them to further close this gap, which in Imola was worth two and a half tenths, according to Ferrari itself, as formu1a.uno analysed in our last twitch stream.
McLaren itself, with the Miami updates, has climbed the field very quickly. Andrea Stella confirmed recently that the MCL38 has improved beyond expectations in some of its characteristics, especially in slow corners.
In the third year of these regulations, we are witnessing a convergence of values and ideas. This is not unusual, although the three-way battle at the front is a rarity in Formula 1.
“Championship? We don’t have to think about it. Ferrari must maintain its approach and try to improve race after race,” said Vasseur. The Frenchman placed a clear focus on the here and now rather than the future.
F1’s pecking order is very close, meaning things can change very quickly: “Today, you are P1. Tomorrow, you can be P6, as seen with Verstappen.”
Speaking of upcoming events, Ferrari is starting from a good place:
“I have good feelings for Montreal: it will be a different and somewhat atypical circuit, with many slow corners and bumps to attack, but with very high top speeds and low load settings,” said Vasseur.
Then we will move on to Montmelò, the famous Spanish circuit in Barcelona where pre-season tests were held until a few years ago.
“When we were carrying out the tests, we already had a basic setup ready. Now, it’s a little different.
“Barcelona has a good mix of corners and is strict on the tyres. But I don’t think the pecking order will be upset compared to the first eight Grands Prix,” Vasseur said.
HOW FERRARI CHANGED ITS APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENTS
Recently, Frédéric Vasseur spoke about a different approach his team had this season, focusing more on the race.
“This was the result of analysis from last season. In Qualifying, we were competitive. But then, on Sunday, we lost too many points. And that’s why we decided on this different approach this year. ”
It’s not just about the setup but about how the team prepares for the entire weekend. This sacrificed the SF-24’s qualifying pace a bit, but the results are proving the team right. The technical office led by Enrico Cardile has done extremely well.
Furthermore, this convergence that is taking place also makes it more complex for the engineers to find very important gains in the simulator, as well as being an already very complicated operation, as demonstrated by Aston Martin and Mercedes, who are still intent on solving their problems.
“When you bring an update, you also have to evaluate how this can change the setup, perhaps making you lose something on that side. You then have to consider when you want to bring them: if there is a Sprint Race, if the circuit is suitable, if you can have spare parts ready in time. With the budget cap, there are many more variables to consider,” explained Vasseur.
According to the Frenchman, given the fine margins in F1, understanding the SF-24’s newest iteration can unlock more performance before updates arrive.
Despite this, work continues in Maranello. As anticipated by formu1a.uno, the second package of upgrades will arrive around Silverstone. Ferrari will work to fully understand their Imola updates in the upcoming races.
“We introduced some new features a week ago, so it’s early to talk about new updates. But we are continuing to push. We have to make sure we bring solutions to the track that can give us a decent profit.
“The development work is giving us further earnings, so we will bring the updates as soon as possible,” concluded the French team principal.
