Fred Vasseur was happy with Ferrari’s respectful fighting in the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix despite the opportunity to “look completely stupid”.
Starting third and fourth for the Chinese GP, the prancing horse drivers fought side by side for the majority of the race. Initially, they passed the Mercedes but fell short of the race pace, eventually being passed back for the lead by the silver arrows.
In the early stages of the race, they were sandwiched by the two Mercedes, with Kimi Antonelli extending his lead while George Russell kept close to the pair’s gearboxes.
Hamilton led his teammate in the opening laps, with the two trading places consistently. At times, heading wheel-to-wheel around the circuit, narrowly avoiding contact. The fight went on for the entire race, with the final overtake coming on Lap 40, when passed Leclerc and remained in third to take his first podium in scarlet red.
Despite fighting non-stop throughout the Grand Prix, both cars came out unscathed, with both drivers praising the fun but fair on-track battle.
Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, praised his two drivers for their professionalism.
“Huge respect for both of them,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “They are professional, and I think it makes sense in this situation to let them race.
“I know perfectly that that can also look completely stupid half an hour later.”
For Vasseur, it was important to let the drivers fight rather than call team orders. Especially so early on in the season.
“But at the end of the day, I think it’s also the best way to build up a team. We need to have this kind of emulation into the team to improve.” He said.
“As long as it’s done like it was done today. Even a couple of times on the radio, they told us that they have good fun, but I don’t want to freeze the position.”
Faith in Lewis Hamilton
After Hamilton made it past Leclerc on Lap 40, the order was set. The Brit crossed the finish line to take his first podium with Ferrari. Despite his first season with the team being fruitless, Vasseur wasn’t worried.
“Honestly,” Vasseur said, “I think it’s always much easier the second one. Because you are part of the project. From the beginning, he was in the simulator in mid-’25 when we started the project.
“I think he feels also a bit more involved in the project than one year ago. When he joined the team in January, the car was there.
“He knows everybody a little bit more; the relationship is getting better and better. So it’s also easier for him to deal with people and to work with everybody.
Despite the strong performance Ferrari has shown in the opening two races, the gap to Mercedes is significant. Vasseur admitted that it’s a long but ‘marginal’ process.
“Step by step, that we have to do marginal gains because it’s like this that will close the gap on.”
Ferrari’s on-track battles are harmless in the early stages. But Vasseur will be looking to dissuade any rising tensions as the season progresses. Currently, the prancing horses sit 31 points from Mercedes. While Leclerc and Hamilton sit 17 and 18 points adrift of George Russell, leading the drivers’ championship.
In an uphill battle for Ferrari against Mercedes, they’ll need to be perfect to hope to capitalise on any mistake coming from the Silver Arrows.
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