A double-DNF in Canada was central to Ferrari’s failure to win the 2024 constructors’ championship, however staff principal Fred Vasseur says the response to such difficulties bodes nicely for the long run.
Ferrari misplaced out to McLaren by 14 factors within the constructors’ combat, lacking out on an opportunity to win the championship for the primary time since 2008. Vasseur says the general staff efficiency was a transparent signal of Ferrari’s progress in comparison with the earlier season however Canada stands out because the significantly pricey weekend after failing to attain.
“For certain it’s a little bit of a combined feeling, as a result of I feel that we did an excellent step ahead in comparison with 2023, I might say on each single pillar.” Vasseur mentioned. “Reliability was higher, the technique was good, pit stops went nicely, the efficiency was there. We scored 60 % extra factors than one 12 months in the past; now we have 5 wins towards one. I feel [by all metrics], it’s inexperienced.
“The one [negative] is that we completed the season 14 factors behind McLaren. Once more it’s not in Abu Dhabi that we misplaced one thing. On common through the season, I feel McLaren scored 26, 27 factors per weekend, and we scored greater than this in Abu Dhabi. It’s in all probability extra in Canada with double zero, or {the summertime} after we struggled slightly bit — Spain, UK, Austria.
“We struggled right here, and on this interval of 4 races, we misplaced one thing like 80 or 90 factors on McLaren. In addition they have their downsides to the season. It’s like this when you’ve got 4 groups combating, that you’re at all times up and down. You may have a form of frustration the Sunday night in Abu Dhabi when you’re 14 factors behind McLaren. Over 600 [points each], it’s not that a lot.
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“If in case you have a have a look at this season, the primary race that got here to my thoughts after I mentioned, ‘OK we’re 14 factors behind,’ it’s Canada. Canada we had the double zero with a reliability situation on Charles [Leclerc’s car] and I feel a race incident for Carlos [Sainz], and I feel that McLaren didn’t have [any].
“McLaren had a race incident with [Oscar] Piastri, however … they rating factors, and when you’re in this sort of combat with 4 groups, if you happen to rating zero-zero it’s fairly robust to come back again, which implies that reliability is essential and now we have to keep away from the crashes. We had one or two crashes, however in this sort of championship that’s an excessive amount of.”
Regardless of the race in Montreal standing out to Vasseur, he was additionally impressed by Ferrari’s response because it fought again from a run of disappointing races to get so near successful the title. Not solely did it present a robust understanding of the automobile’s issues, he says it’s reflective of a shift in tradition inside Maranello.
“I feel the strategy this 12 months, as a staff, was excellent, even after we had the robust June, July,” he mentioned. “The response from the staff, as a staff, was excellent. We by no means blame somebody or [any] division; we work collectively to come back again, we work collectively to search out options between the totally different teams, and it went nicely.
“You may at all times say that it might have been higher to not have the difficulty, however I feel the response was good, and it’s what we’re additionally anticipating for the long run if we need to combat for the championship. And sure, it’s a part of what we need to have.
“If you end up attempting to repair a purpose for the staff it’s to work as a staff, to behave as a staff, to not blame somebody when now we have points. It’s straightforward to say, nevertheless it’s not straightforward to do when you’ve got the strain of the outcome and the strain of the races. I used to be not there earlier than — I can’t choose on the previous — however I used to be very pleased with the response of the staff this 12 months.”
