Frederic Vasseur Highlights Ferrari’s Crystal Clear Pace Deficit: Red Bull Has an “Undeniable” Advantage

It was yet another commanding performance by Red Bull Racing as they secured their second consecutive 1-2 finish in 2024 at Jeddah. The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc came home to take the final podium place, but the Monegasque had a rather lonely race as he was nowhere near the pace of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Despite reducing Leclerc’s gap to Verstappen from 39 seconds in Bahrain to 19 seconds in Saudi Arabia, Ferrari’s team boss believes Red Bull has a clear advantage over them and what exactly they need to improve in the races to come.

However, the reduction in the gap wasn’t because Ferrari suddenly found extra speed in their car. According to Leclerc, it was mainly due to the track conditions and tire performance. Unlike Bahrain, where tire degradation was a significant factor, the Saudi track had much lower tire wear. And that allowed Ferrari to prevent falling too far behind the Dutchman.

Frederic Vasseur highlights the key areas of improvement for Ferrari

During the post-race media rounds, Frederic Vasseur spoke about the team’s perspective on their performance and development strategy. He highlighted that while Ferrari is planning updates, they recognize that other teams are also making gains. Drawing parallels to McLaren‘s improvement throughout the previous season, Vasseur emphasized the need for Ferrari to consistently progress.

He acknowledged that while Ferrari did improve last year, the rate of progress was not as big as McLaren’s half-second gain. This highlights the current state of Formula 1, where the pace of development has slowed, leading to a tighter gap between the teams. Vasseur also expressed optimism about the current Ferrari car, noting that it is easier to drive compared to the previous year, providing a good foundation for further development, and benefiting both the drivers and the team’s understanding of areas that require enhancement.

Highlighting the key area of improvement, Vasseur said, “Performance comes from everything. There is no secret. We have to improve in all areas. Aerodynamics is definitely the key. We have new parts coming, like everyone else, but the important thing is that they work in the car. We are fully focused on the fact that we have to recover. It is undeniable that they still have an advantage. We have to continue to attack and develop the car.”

If Ferrari has to catch up to Red Bull, they have to engage in a tight developmental battle throughout the season. However, that’s not the only plan that the Ferrari team boss has up his sleeves.

Vasseur plans to poach key technical talent from Red Bull

Recent reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport suggest that Ferrari is eyeing a strategic move to strengthen its technical staff by recruiting key personnel from Red Bull Racing. According to Frederic Vasseur, the team sees an opportunity amidst the turbulence at Red Bull Racing. Rather than targeting top talents like Adrian Newey and Pierre Wache, Ferrari aims to cherry-pick engineers from the lower ranks.

This approach, similar to what was executed by McLaren and Aston Martin in the past, seeks to take advantage of the chaos within Red Bull. By luring away key technical staff, Ferrari hopes to initiate a ‘brain drain’ at Red Bull Racing, potentially disrupting their performance on the track. While specific names of the targeted personnel remain undisclosed, the goal for Ferrari is clear: to bolster its technical department in hopes of accelerating its progress on track.

READ MORE: Frederic Vasseur Rubbishes Rumored Rift With Carlos Sainz While Revealing Charles Leclerc’s Role in Team Dynamics

Do you think Ferrari will bring a major upgrade package to Australia in a bid to catch up with Red Bull?