Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur believes the team has made the “right decision” by sacrificing its chances at Silverstone to have a greater chance of good luck in the medium to long term.
The Italian team finished a disappointing fifth and fourth at Silverstone and with Mercedes winning back-to-back races, there is no doubt that Ferrari has fallen to fourth in the existing pecking order. But despite those problems, Vasseur believes the sacrifices made in Britain will help them get back on track sooner.
Unlike its functionality two seasons ago, when Carlos Sainz won for the first time, Ferrari was forced to watch Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes fight for the lead at the British Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s form at the start of the season means they still sit second in the constructors’ standings, however, with McLaren on seven numbers and Mercedes 81, the Maranello team is looking more backwards than forwards.
“It’s difficult to say after today’s result, but I think we’ve made a step forward this weekend, at least on a technical level,” Vasseur told the media, adding PlanetF1. com, at Silverstone. “We have a much greater understanding of the Scenario and I think it’s encouraging for the last component of the season. “
Driven by Ferrari’s momentum regarding their upgrades, Vasseur said they had a challenge in 2023 but were confident they could get back on track.
“I think we had the exact same scenario last year, almost at the same level of the season,” he said. “[It was at] Silverstone and we stopped him at Zandvoort, to do a full investigation of the scenario. We had a smart recovery.
“It’s complicated in this scenario because when you have a problem, you don’t have [the possibility to do] a verification, an adequate verification to solve it, or at least to perceive it.
F1 team principals: How long has the team boss been in charge?
Eight pairs of F1 teammates who couldn’t stand each other while driving together
“And it’s quite difficult as a team to commit or sacrifice Friday sessions when you know you lose a bit of time over the weekend. “
“And to say ‘okay, let’s do FP1, FP2 and concentrate on the medium term’. And honestly, believe me, this decision by the team is very complicated because you stopped for the weekend. “
“At Silverstone it was even worse because of the weather, but it means we put ourselves in a complicated situation. But we knew it before and it was even worse with the fact that on Saturday morning with rainy tyres. In fact, it has not been useful, It is still as it is.
“We made the resolution before the weekend and I think it’s the right resolution to do so. “
Read more: Exclusive: The inside story of Williams’ start in F1’s turbo-hybrid era