Vasseur reflects on Ferrari's best qualifying result in 2025
On the back of Ferrari's best qualifying result in 2025, the Scuderia's team boss Fred Vasseur reckoned that it was vital to have a clean start to qualifying to save tyres for the final segment.
Ferrari introduced a heavily upgraded floor on its SF-25 at the Red Bull Ring in a bid to salvage their season which has been an up-and-down campaign so far.
While Friday's practice sessions did not bring a clear picture whether Ferrari achieved a real step with the new floor, the qualifying session saw Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton deliver the Scuderia's best qualifying result of the 2025 F1 season.
The Monegasque sat out the opening session as he handed over his SF-25 to F2 driver Dino Beganovic. The 27-year-old looked slightly off the pace in final practice, but he delivered when it really mattered by ending up second just behind Lando Norris.
His team-mate Lewis Hamilton has struggled in qualifying so far in 2025, but the seven-time F1 champion displayed eye-catching pace throughout the entire session. The Briton slightly underdelivered in Q2, but he was on the pace in the final qualifying segment to secure P4 on the grid.
Reflecting on Ferrari's qualifying day at the Red Bull Ring, team boss Fred Vasseur noted: "Qualifying went well for us, everything went smoothly. Right from FP3 and then from the beginning of Q1 we were on the pace and were able to put a good lap on the board.
"That is very important, because if you don’t get a good first lap in the first part, you have to use another set of tyres and that puts you on the back foot for the rest of your qualifying. We did the same in Q2, so we arrived in Q3 with two sets of new Softs.
"As I said before, the key is to have a clean weekend. It’s true that our upgrade helped today, even if it should be measured in hundredths of a second rather than tenths, but I believe it’s more about our execution. Still, Lando was on another planet today.
Signing off with a word for his expectations for the race, Vasseur reckoned that the high temperatures that are set to hit the Red Bull Ring will make tyre management vital.
"As for the race, we always knew it would get much hotter on Sunday, which means the race will be all about tyre management. On the other hand, you can overtake here so you don’t have to be too worried about when to make your pit stops, as it is possible to gain back position.
"Yesterday, our long stint pace was good, so tomorrow, with DRS being very effective here it will be important to be able to use it well," concluded Vasseur.
