Ferrari heads towards Silverstone with a third and an eleventh place in a weekend, also conditioned by the Sprint, where the strongest car did not win, or the next one but rather the third. In fact, the winner was the one who placed himself in a comfortable third position, without too many risks. Sometimes you need to be in the right place at the right time. Mercedes in Austria found itself, by chance, leading the race in the final laps. The same case gave a podium that Ferrari probably would not have seen without the contact between Norris and Verstappen. The Maranello team's race, despite the podium of Sainz it was not entirely satisfactory. Ferrari was counting on at least getting back ahead of Mercedes on the Red Bull Ring. But SF-24's difficulties at this stage of the season are much more serious than previously thought. This raised gods doubts about the updates introduced and about a possible step backwards by the team on that front. Hypothesis that however Frederic Vasseur at the end of Austrian GP, he promptly discarded.
Austrian GP, Frederic Vasseur's assessment
At the end of the Austrian GP, Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal, expressed one “mixed sensation” regarding the result obtained. “It's a good result to get on the podium, and overall it's not a bad weekend in terms of the standings,” said Vasseur. However, he also highlighted some frustration: “Over the weekend we were in a position to do a better job and get a better result. We had that problem with engine temperatures with Charles in the sprint.” Vasseur added that in qualifying and the race there were several missed opportunities that could have further improved the team's performance. Despite everything, Vasseur sees the overall result as positive and encouraging for the team.
Future Prospects and Areas for Improvement
Looking ahead, Vasseur stressed the importance of remaining ambitious and continuing to develop the cars. “We don't go back with updates. We must be ambitious and look forward, we need to develop what we have but do a better job than this weekend.” he said, indicating that the team made a good step forward between Friday and Saturday morning, but that it is still not enough. The team will now focus on Silverstone, a normal weekend with two test sessions on Friday which will allow them to better take care of the car's set-up. “We need to improve and focus on the future by building on what we have achieved today,” added Vasseur, praising the aerodynamic improvements brought by the new package. Finally, he briefly commented on Leclerc's accident with Piastri and Perez, considering it a "race accident" and reiterating the need to look ahead and focus on the progress made.
Source statements: FormulaPassion
