Ferrari as soon as once more missed out on the rostrum in Bahrain – a outcome that appeared inside attain till the Security Automotive nullified the strategic benefit constructed as much as that time. Fred Vasseur defended the choice to suit exhausting tyres throughout these moments, fairly than the softs which turned out to be simpler on George Russell’s Mercedes. The Workforce Principal additionally expressed his assist for Lewis Hamilton, acknowledging the difficulties he’s dealing with in adapting to the Ferrari.
The reasoning behind the technique
“We had no selection between the exhausting or used delicate beneath the Security Automotive, at the least from our perspective,” Fred Vasseur defined, placing into context the choice to suit the exhausting compound, which later proved underwhelming. “I believe even Russell at one level thought-about it very formidable to go for twenty-four laps, however ultimately it paid off. The monitor was a bit cooler and extra rubbered in.” The Workforce Principal additionally defended the crew’s general method to the race: “I believe the preliminary technique was good. Within the first stint we paid the value, having to stretch it a bit, however then the tempo was actually sturdy and it may have been a terrific race if not for the Security Automotive. However we are able to’t complain, that’s a part of the sport.”
“With out the Security Automotive, we may have chosen between the delicate and exhausting for the ultimate stint, however with the neutralisation and 24 laps remaining, the delicate was not an choice for us. The entire race was a bit chaotic by way of technique. There are races the place 90% of the grid does precisely the identical factor, and others the place it’s not like that. Antonelli had fitted the softs earlier than the Security Automotive, that means he would have needed to do three stops. We’re nonetheless taking our first steps with these compounds, I believe we’re all nonetheless flying a bit blind. That’s a part of the sport, and I believe McLaren is by far the perfect on this.”
Assist for Lewis
Fred Vasseur then turned to Lewis Hamilton’s ongoing adaptation struggles: “I perceive his frustration on Saturday night. If you happen to take a look at the free observe periods, Q1 and Q2, he was all the time a couple of tenth off Charles. Then in Q3 his first lap was deleted, and within the second he made a mistake. That’s irritating, for each him and us. However on Sunday he fought again nicely to complete fifth. His race tempo was almost on par with the highest three. For me, that was high-quality – he was very aggressive. These days, although, when you depart 2 or 3 tenths on the desk in qualifying due to a mistake, you lose 6 or 7 positions.”
The Frenchman urges endurance earlier than judging Lewis Hamilton’s integration at Ferrari: “You don’t substitute 12 years of collaboration in 2 weeks or 2 races. We positively want to enhance, however that applies to everybody within the crew and within the paddock – it’s within the DNA of our sport. It’s good that Lewis has the mindset of wanting to enhance and adapt to the automobile. We’ll work to adapt the automobile to him, however he additionally has to take a step. I believe we’re doing all this in a really constructive manner collectively.” – the French supervisor identified on the finish of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“I favored that he was a bit down on Saturday. If you happen to qualify eighth and say ‘it’s a disgrace’, it means you’re dissatisfied – as a result of the entire weekend had been going significantly better. […] I appreciated his response on Saturday. I did my finest to push him, and on Sunday he was in nice form. We’ll decide up from there subsequent week.”
Looking forward to upcoming races
Regardless of encouraging indicators by way of race tempo, Bahrain confirmed the boundaries of the SF-25: “If you happen to take a look at the season common, I believe we’re lacking 2, 3 or 4 tenths. We’re missing one thing. We’ve got to maintain working. Aerodynamic load is a part of that hole.” The important thing, in keeping with Fred Vasseur, shall be to maintain a stage head: “We have to keep calm. We’ve got highs and lows, like everybody. The issue is that for us the highs are larger, and the lows simply as low. If we wish to keep a constant method – as we’ve finished very nicely over the past 2 years – now we have to remain calm and enhance hundredth by hundredth. I’m satisfied we’ll do the identical good work we’ve finished over the previous 2 years.”
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