Vasseur reaveals how Ferrari improved its straight-line performance after sprint
After Ferrari had struggled with its straight-line performance in sprint qualifying and the 100km dash, team boss Fred Vasseur revealed that the Maranello-based outfit made tweaks to the setup to improve the situation.
On the back of a tough qualifying session on Friday, Lewis Hamilton had a great getaway on the initial Sprint start, climbing from P11 to eighth.
The Briton spent the majority of the 100km dash on the tail of his team mate, Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque followed Fernando Alonso closely throughout, but Leclerc only managed to finally find a way through with a few laps left.
Hamilton did not have enough time to mount an attack of his own, and had to settle for seventh place, but he still managed to gain two points. In qualifying, both Hamilton and Leclerc struggled for pace, but they managed to make it out of Q1. However, the Briton, who had looked more competitive than his team-mate in the earlier part of the weekend, struggled with rear grip, and exited in Q2 on merit.
Leclerc delivered eye-catching performance in Q2 to make it to the top 10 shootout. Once there, the Monegasque delivered two great laps to grab P3 on the grid somewhat against the run of form.
After Ferrari had struggled with its straight-line performance in sprint qualifying and the 100km dash, team boss Fred Vasseur revealed that the Maranello-based outfit made tweaks to the setup to improve the situation.
"The lap times are getting closer and closer: between first and sixteenth there’s just one tenth difference. This means it only takes the smallest of mistakes or a bit of traffic on a quick lap to find yourself already out in Q1 or Q2.
"We did a much better job today than yesterday. It’s a matter of putting everything together and doing everything perfectly. We were expecting rain, but it didn’t come and so, for qualifying we went with a lower downforce set-up.
Signing off with a word for Ferrari's title in the endurance championship, Vasseur added: "The WEC title in Bahrain is a fantastic achievement that makes everyone in Maranello proud.
"It’s a clear reminder that we are one company and one team, united by the same passion and commitment wherever we race. Let’s hope it also brings us some positive energy here in Brazil."
