Ferrari closes 2024 with its head held high, after a season finale that provided excitement and hope for the future, but also the awareness that the most coveted goal has eluded it once again. Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal of the Prancing Horse, after Abu Dhabi drew a frank assessment of the season and set the objectives for 2025. He did not fail to reflect on what the Scuderia has built this year and on what will be needed to return to the top.
“We didn't lose today”
Vasseur does not mince words when analyzing the result of the Constructors' World Championship, lost by just 14 points against a McLaren that shone at the end of the season:
“We gave it our all, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't in Abu Dhabi that we lost the title, but in the moments when we couldn't express our full potential during the year. Today Charles and Carlos had an exceptional race, but we knew that recovering would be complicated.”
Ferrari has shown that it is a team capable of reacting, but the Team Principal is not satisfied:
“This year we did better than 2023, but it’s not enough. There’s still a long way to go, and we need to focus on every detail to make a leap in quality. This is our goal for the future.”
A team that has learned to react
In Abu Dhabi, Vasseur underlined the importance of mentality, the true driving force behind the Scuderia's growth:
“Reaction has been our strength. We’ve faced issues in Canada, difficulties with updates in Spain, and incidents in Singapore and Baku, but each time we’ve come back stronger. That’s the sign of a team working as one.”
The arrival of Lewis Hamilton will be another fundamental step to consolidate this identity:
“He will bring experience, discipline and a different vision. It is important to have people coming from other environments to enrich the culture of the team. Hamilton will not only be a driver, but a point of reference for everyone.”
Looking ahead to 2025
The future is built starting from the solid foundations that 2024 has highlighted:
“Morale is high and we all feel we can do better. I don’t want to make any promises, but our goal is clear: to improve every aspect, step by step. The Constructors’ Championship is within our reach, but we will need even more commitment and precision.”
Vasseur then mentioned the opportunities that the regulation will offer in the first months of 2025:
“We will have more time in the wind tunnel, and this could be an advantage for 2026. But we must not forget that the difference is played out in the details, in hundredths of a second, and the work to improve must be constant.”
Despite the title missed, 2024 leaves a more aware and determined Ferrari. The challenge for 2025 has already begun, and Vasseur has clear ideas: “It’s not about a single hero or a single department. It’s a collective effort, and we have to approach it with the mindset of always wanting to do better than the day before.”
Source statements: FormulaPassion
