Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has claimed that the team going “under the radar” in the battle over the 2024 Formula 1 championship represents the “perfect situation”.
Carlos Sainz’s dominant showing in Mexico succeeding a 1-2 in the United States has seen Ferrari usurp Red Bull to climb into second in the Constructors’ Standings.
The Italian marque has now become McLaren’s established closest challenger, with 29 points separating the two sides going into the remaining four rounds this term.
But while Ferrari won again, an incident between title rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris provided the main talking point at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
READ MORE – Max Verstappen penalised after Lando Norris F1 battle in Mexico
However, Vasseur has contended that he harbours no issue with other individuals commanding the headlines as it protects Ferrari from potential outside distractions.
“As long as you are all focused on Max and Norris, this is perfect for us,” Vasseur told media including Motorsport Week.
“You can be focused on the fight between Toto [Wolff] and Christian [Horner], between Zak [Brown] and Christian, between Lando and Max, between whatever.
“As long as we are under the radar, it allows us to be fully focused on what we are doing, on the team, on the drivers.
“This is a perfect situation for us. I think you will have tons to say about that Max and Lando today, it will be the headlines tomorrow and it’s good for us.”
Verstappen’s clash with Norris came about as the Dutchman strives to preserve his current points advantage with a Red Bull RB20 that has not won a race since June.
Red Bull’s woes with car balance and Sergio Perez’s struggles have all but ended the team’s hopes, while McLaren remains in contention to seize both championships.
Asked whether being able to grant full attention to the Constructors’ Championship provided an advantage to Ferrari, Vasseur said: “I think it’s important for us to have no distraction.
“We are focused on what we are doing, on the car, on the management of the team, to take race after race and not to think about the global future. I think it’s paying off today.”
Vasseur praises Ferrari turnaround
Ferrari’s revived title prospects have materialised despite a slump during the summer when it lost competitiveness due to an update package that triggered bouncing.
Vasseur has praised how the Maranello-based squad was able to deliver a quick response to that setback to get back on a par with its rivals through recent upgrades.
“Now, it’s true that the reaction of the team was a very good one,” he recalled.
“I don’t remember the sequence, but probably UK or Spain, when we struggled a little bit to be able to accept that we have to do a step back.
“Honestly, we lost probably one or two weekends in terms of pure pace.
“But it was a good move and a good goal, and then we were back into the game at the end of July at Spa or Budapest.”
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