The summer break arrives at the most complicated moment of the season for Ferrari, in difficulty after having brought the first important developments to Spain. Despite this mix of ups and downs in the first part of the season, the Red team has made notable progress, as demonstrated by the two victories obtained in Australia and Monaco. But the path to returning to the top is far from easy and Ferrari in this summer break is thinking about how to straighten out these last 9 races to better direct the next season, 2025 with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton. Frederic Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal in an interview given to RacingNews365 and to other media he expressed the aim of consolidating the progress and growth of the last year. Progress that sees Ferrari in a 300% improvement over Red Bull.
In addition to managing the team on the track, Vasseur was involved in behind-the-scenes negotiations that could have significantly changed Ferrari's technical future. The attempt to bring Adrian Newley, one of the most influential designers of Formula 1, it didn't work out in Maranello. The team principal considered that the British requests were incompatible with the team structure and, although the hiring of a talent like Newey could have been a strategic coup, Vasseur preferred to maintain a clear and cohesive line of command, avoiding potential internal conflicts that could have further destabilized the team.
Progress and challenges: Vasseur's assessment
The balance of the first half of the season tells of a Ferrari that, despite having lost ground compared to rivals McLaren and Mercedes, has shown signs of improvement compared to 2023. With 117 points more than the same period last year, the Prancing Horse proved to be more competitive, although still far from Red Bull's level. The victory in Monte-Carlo, however isolated, had initially given hope of a growing season, but the porpoising and balance of the SF-24 continued to represent obstacles to overcome. However, Vasseur underlined how the team was able to keep up, at least in part, with its opponents, and how the work carried out was fundamental in significantly reducing the gap compared to Red Bull.
Frederic Vasseur expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved by Ferrari compared to last year. “I think that in the first part of the season, up to China, Red Bull flew. Then there was a good sequence between us, McLaren and Mercedes. I think everyone did a similar job, it's not often that at this point of the year there are four teams capable of winning the championship,” said Vasseur. “I'm not a big fan of statistics, but we got about 60% more points than a year ago after 12 races, reducing the gap by 300% to Red Bull”. These words reflect not only a positive balance compared to last year, but also a cautious optimism for the second part of the season, in which Ferrari is counting on circuits more suited to its car.
Expectations for the second part of the season
With the summer break now underway, Ferrari has the opportunity to recharge its batteries and solve the problems that have plagued the SF-24 in recent races, in particular bouncing and cornering balance. Vasseur is confident that the tracks of the second half of the world championship can favor Ferrari, offering the team the opportunity to obtain significant results and compete for second place in the constructors' championship, a position contested with Mercedes and McLaren. The objective for the rest of the season remains clear: consolidate the progress made, improve on-track performance and close the year with a series of results that can set the stage for a successful 2025.
