Vasseur reveals where Ferrari’s weekend derailed at Zandvoort
On the back of a complicated qualifying for the Scuderia, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has conceded that the tough practice day meant that Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton struggled to build up their confidence behind the wheel of their SF25 gradually.
Ferrari has endured a tough weekend so far at Zandvoort. The Scuderia struggled for overall grip on a track that exposes its SF25’s weaknesses.
Despite some promising runs on Pirelli’s medium tyres in the third and final practice, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were on the verge of getting knocked out in Q1. The Briton and Monegasque then got their act together and salvaged Ferrari’s day with a sixth and seventh qualifying position.
Reflecting on Ferrari’s qualifying performance, team boss Fred Vasseur commented: "Today we made a good recovery after yesterday when we were losing 6 to 7 tenths in two corners and struggling. But it meant we were having to come from too far back.
“We need to do a better job on Friday because looking to make a one second step up is too much in terms of set-up and too much for the drivers.
"At this track, it’s difficult to find the right balance and the correct approach for the tyres. The layout of the track with the corners from 7 to 10 puts a lot of load on the tyres and if you are over the limit you can lose a lot in the final part.
“It’s a bit frustrating as I feel P4 could have been possible, but Charles admitted he made a mistake at turn 10. Lewis has had a very good weekend so far but it’s the same story as Charles, in that we started from too far back from yesterday when we were not in the right set-up window.
Signing off with a prospect for his expectations for the race, Vasseur noted: "I think we have a good opportunity to do well tomorrow as our race pace seems okay. McLaren are far ahead but then it’s close between ourselves, Verstappen and Russell, so it will come down to strategy and tyre management."
