Boss puts brave face on Ferrari’s 2024 slide

Frederic Vasseur is putting a brave face on Ferrari’s current situation in Formula 1.

Once touted as the most improved team early in 2024, the Maranello-based outfit has now fallen behind Red Bull’s current main rivals McLaren and Mercedes.

"If we look at the numbers," team boss Vasseur told Corriere della Sera newspaper, "we did much better than last year - two wins, eleven podiums, 50 percent more points.

"Of course, there were also a lot of ups and downs, but that’s how it is for every team. Red Bull dominated at the beginning, then we did well, then McLaren and finally Mercedes. It will be a rollercoaster until the end.

"The difference between the cars is always about two tenths," the Frenchman insisted.

However, at Zandvoort, Charles Leclerc is more like 9 tenths behind the pole - with the Monegasque driver admitting that his 2024 title hopes are over.

"Since everyone is so close together, it is easy to make mistakes," Vasseur explained. "It’s not all black and white."

He admits Ferrari had to backtrack on a particularly flawed car update recently, but denies it is related to the departure of technical director Enrico Cardile.

"Absolutely not," said Vasseur. "What we brought to the track in June was conceived before April. And what we will see in Monza or Singapore was born before the summer break."

One theory, however, is that Vasseur’s focus on team stability may have taken a hit. "Stability does not mean keeping Cardile," he hit back. "It means having a solid leadership group of over 100 people, and we meet regularly to discuss. We are an organisation in which the collective counts more than the individual.

"Saying that, we have hired 60 people in 12 months without talking about it. The only one who was talked about is Loic Serra but only because his name came up by others. And we must remember that with the budget cap, it is impossible to always keep the same people.

"But we are not having a different technical structure. There will be a technical director who will come from outside. We should announce it after Monza."

Another issue at Ferrari this year has been the drivers, with Carlos Sainz knowing he is being replaced by Lewis Hamilton next year, and Charles Leclerc often struggling for pace and form.

"After Monte Carlo, Charles had very high expectations as he gave everything for that success," said Vasseur. "Then we started to suffer with the car and he got into trouble. But he was always honest, even in acknowledging his mistakes. And he had the reaction I wanted."