Starting again from Sainz's podium in Austin, but without allowing any more mistakes. This is the clear message sent by Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur ahead of the Mexican GP. Formula 1 stops at Mexico City for the second match of the American triptych, waiting to close everything with Brazil next week. A weekend in which the goal of Team seems to be very clear: gain points on Mercedes and try to grab second place in the constructors' championship.
Ferrari: Mercedes target
Leclerc's disqualification and the podium (also permitted by the exclusion of Hamilton) Of Sainz, allowed Ferrari to say goodbye to COTA with the glass more half full than empty. The ranking at the moment seems to speak very clearly: 344 Mercedes, 322 Ferraris. A gap which, if we consider just the four races at the end of the season, makes us understand how much Ferrari desperately need to score more points than the Brackley team already this weekend.
Vassuer ahead of the Mexican GP: “Ready to fight for the manufacturers”
To try to achieve this goal, you will need to be perfect. Both from the point of view of the drivers and the garages, with mistakes like those of Austin with Leclerc which must never be repeated. Team principal Frederic himself explains it in view of the Mexican GP Vasseur"We left Austin with a revised ranking after the exclusion of Lewis Hamilton and Charles, which allowed Carlos to get on the podium. It's a result he deserves for how he managed the match and which allowed us to get back to nibbling away at points in the chase for second place in the Constructors' standings".
“We can no longer repeat the mistakes of the USA”
"In Mexico – continued the team principal – but I want to see greater concentration from the team because we can no longer afford some of the misjudgments we have seen in the United States. What awaits us is a very particular race, in which unique environmental conditions influence the performance of the cars, both in terms of pure performance and tire management.".
“We will make all the necessary assessments”
Leclerc's disqualification in Austin was also influenced by the format Sprint, that in Mexico there will not be. Absolutely positive news for Ferrari, as confirmed by Vasseur: “Having the traditional race format, we will have the opportunity to make all the necessary evaluations in the three free practice sessions and I am convinced that we will develop targeted strategies which allow us to get the most out of a Grand Prix which on paper promises to be quite complicated. All of us, starting with Carlos and Charles, we must be able to grasp it on the fly every opportunity that presents itself".
