A positive start, considering the first podium of the year, but not entirely satisfactory. In Bahrain wins Max Verstappen which starts the 2024 year exactly where it stopped in 2023. Winning and dominating. Super Max wins his first victory of the season ahead of his teammate Perez and to Carlos's Ferrari Sainz. Behind the Spaniard, author of a very positive race, is his teammate Leclerc, following a very complex race full of problems on the SF-24. At the end of the Bahrain GP, the Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, spoke in an interview on Sky Sports, wanted to analyze the performances of its two drivers in this way.
Vasseur, his interview after the Bahrain GP: “Leclerc did a good job”
Vasseur, was it the race you expected?
“We expected something better, but overall I think it's a good result. We didn't expect to have this problem with the brakes that affected Charles. Carlos made a good comeback and caught up with Perez. The goal was to put some pressure on Perez. We tried but it wasn't enough. Sainz drove a clean race and managed to finish in a good position. For Leclerc, however, the start was difficult but I think he did a good job."
Were you impressed by Verstappen and his laps?
“I think he was really ahead of everyone. In the 57 laps she did really well. We are still a few tenths behind, we must continue to grow."
What are the feelings for Jeddah?
“Jeddah will be a completely different race. We will have the soft tires and we will start from scratch in terms of performance. If we look from 1st to 10th place the gap has narrowed so it will be much more difficult to manage. The story this year is completely different. In the race we recovered 50%: we have a good start."
Have you changed anything on Leclerc's car? How difficult was his race?
“He lost temperature in the brakes. She could have fought Perez but it didn't happen that way. I think you had an excellent race, although it's hard to think so as you finished second. She had a flat out and had to come back early. He was ahead of Mercedes and McLaren. When you are in difficult conditions and you bring home good points you have to be satisfied."
Will it be a different season?
“We must be clear: we didn't start very well compared to them, but we started better than them”.
Do you consider yourself ahead of Mercedes and McLaren?
“The week starts from scratch. I hope the fight is with Red Bull with the others behind, but we must not have this idea already now. We must think about ourselves and avoid the problems we had and are accused of today."
