Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has denied the team’s mid-season development struggles will be regarded as what cost it the Formula 1 title in 2024 should it miss out.
The Italian marque started the campaign as the closest contender to Red Bull’s dominance, claiming two victories and nine podiums across the opening eight rounds.
However, Ferrari’s fortunes soon nosedived as an update package at June’s Spanish Grand Prix triggered accentuated bouncing which hampered its competitiveness.
Ferrari’s woes enabled McLaren to usurp it as Red Bull’s main challenger, and the Woking-based squad has led the Constructors’ Championship since winning in Baku.
But Ferrari has recovered as revised components at the Italian Grand Prix corrected the team’s earlier problems and delivered three wins in Monza, Austin and Mexico.
The Maranello-based squad still holds an uphill task to end a title drought dating back to 2008, though, as it trails 24 points behind McLaren with two races remaining.
But while Ferrari’s earlier slump is set to be pinpointed as the moment it came up short, Vasseur has argued McLaren can also highlight times when it spurned points.
“It is always easy at the end of the season to say without the crash in Singapore [for Carlos Sainz in qualifying], or without this or without that, we would have been champion,” he told media including Motorsport Week post-race in Las Vegas last weekend.
“I think this is true for McLaren, they’ve also had some issues, it is true for everybody on the grid, we have all missed opportunities.
“Part of the business is not only to have the best car, but also to score the maximum number of points we can score over the season.
“It is true that Baku was not the best one, nor was Singapore, and we struggled in terms of pure performance in Spain, the UK and Austria.
“But the reaction was good because after three races, we were back on the pace at Spa, but it is true that in terms of pure performance, this was the weak point.”
Vasseur acknowledges Qatar test for Ferrari
Ferrari’s momentum is expected to stall in Qatar as the high-speed Lusail International Circuit has been tipped to expose the team’s main weakness with its SF-24 car.
Vasseur has acknowledged that it could be a damage-limitation event, but he has urged Ferrari to maximise its prospects to ensure the battle heads down to the wire.
“I prefer to be 24 points behind than 200, that it’s still open that we don’t know what could happen in Qatar and in Abu Dhabi,” the Frenchman added.
“For sure on the paper, Qatar is not the best one for us, but we had a tough event where we were able to do a good job.
“Let’s be focused, let’s try to get the best [result] and to keep McLaren under pressure for the last one.
“This is important because in the last one everything can happen and we will push until the last corner of the last lap of the last race for sure.”
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