Frederic Vasseur: "Returning Ferrari to its old days" zamit will take time”
The new head of the Ferrari team, Frederic Vasseur, made evaluations about the team's recent performance in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Frankly we didn't expect the results to be this way," Vasseur said. “The most important thing in situations like these is that the team takes the right precautions. I think the team has responded very well to the current issues but to return to the front division zamIt takes time.”
“Some people think that the problems in Formula 1 can be fixed in a week. But this is comparable to a very large ship that has to change course. So it's not something that can happen right away."
“The engineering market can also be compared to football. Currently, the top 50 engineers currently involved in sports have signed contracts for three years or more. You have to either wait or pay large compensation amounts to get someone on the team.”
“So the situation is not easy at all. There is also another negative factor that strikes us when we compare it to English teams: in England the factories are close together and if you hire someone, the person does not have to change their place of residence. Their children can continue to go to the same school and maintain their old habits.”
“But for an engineer to switch to Ferrari, you first have to convince him, then his wife, and a week later his children…”
Vasseur commented on the weak points of the last SF-23 vehicle.
“The vehicle is not easy to drive.”
"You can push the limits in a single lap on dry ground, but it's unrealistic to do it all race."
“Therefore, the pace drops. It's more about aerodynamics."
“The team had a good car in 2022 and we tried to make it even better. But we underestimated the fact that when you take something too far, it can be difficult for drivers.”
“The car sometimes behaves unpredictably. So there is no consistency at all.”
Regarding the update plan, Vasseur said, “We took the SF-23 out of the wind tunnel at the end of July, but we will have a few more updates to use in Qatar or Austin.”
“Work on the simulator of the 2024 vehicle continues at full speed, but we are still in the concept stage.”
“We need to find another approach. We need to find a way to prevent drivers from constantly having to go to the limit. Fortunately, we still have a few months.” said.
