Vasseur pinpoints the area where Ferrari need to improve

On the back of an up-and-down start to the season, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has pinpointed the area in which the Scuderia needs to improve to be able to fight for championships.

After a strong second half of the season in 2024, Ferrari had been expected to be in contention for the championships. However, the Scuderia fell back in the pecking order during the winter period, and have found themselves behind McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull.

Asked what is the battle plan agreed going forward to recover the rest of this season into '26, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur reckoned that Ferrari made several mistakes that have put them into a difficult position at the start of the season.

"The initial goal was to fight for the championship, but I think it’s true for us, it's true for McLaren, for Red Bull, for Mercedes. We are all in this mood to fight for the championship at the beginning of the season.

"I think if you compare with expectations, probably McLaren is one step ahead compared to everybody. And we didn’t do a good job on our side.

"Just speaking about us—Ferrari—we didn’t do a good job, the couple of races, we had the disqualification in China. We were 60 points behind Red Bull and Mercedes at this stage of the season.

"And overall, I think we had a decent recovery, at least compared to Red Bull, Mercedes. Compared to McLaren, they are still one step ahead. It means we have to continue to try to do a better job each day and improve.

"I had the feeling that on some occasions this year, we missed opportunities, and we didn’t do the same level of job as we did last year, let’s say.

"And this, clearly, we need to improve. But it's true that if you want to win the championship—and I think it’s a good lesson of 2024—you can’t leave points on the way.

"Last year, we had a double DNF in Canada. We had a couple of events with DNFs and issues, and it’s where we have to improve, clearly. But I think it’s difficult to say because we are still behind McLaren. The target is to be P1. But I think we are improving from the beginning of the season to today.

Although Ferrari’s outright pace has not been outstanding so far this season, the Scuderia has delivered brilliantly executed pit stops, and have established themselves as the dominant force in this regard.

Asked whether he is pleased with the team’s performance in the pit lane, Vasseur praised the Scuderia's operational performance, but stressed that it is not enough to succeed.

"But it’s not a race of a pit stop. At the end of the day, it’s good to have a good pit stop because it’s part of the—it’s not part of the success, but it could be part of the issues.

"And honestly, if you compare with the beginning of ’23–’24, we did a good step forward on operations: strategy, pit stop, even reliability. But still, we are behind McLaren. At the end, the target is not to do a good job.

"The target is to do a better job than the others. And it’s the same for 2026. When you're asking us, “Where are you?”—we are improving, but the target is to improve faster than the others. Overall, I think it’s a long process, and it’s why I don’t want to come back on the part of the discussion.

"But it’s where, each time that you have a kind of distraction or issue internally, you are losing a little bit of focus during the season. And this is our job to recover.

"I have the feeling that sometimes teams in the UK are a bit more on their own and a bit more focused on what they are doing. But, you know, the best example for me is McLaren. In 2022–23, they had a very harsh season.

"They were at the back, but they were focused. They worked on their own, and they improved step by step. And it’s, I think, what every single team wants to do. I have huge respect for the ten teams on the grid—I know all of them.

"They are competitors, they are racers. And when we are not doing well, we are aware. It means we are trying to put everything together, we are pushing, and the most important is to be able to do your own job. That’s sometimes where we are struggling a little bit.