Standing on Slippery Slope, Ferrari Boss Makes Tall Claims After a Forgettable F1 Season Start: “If We Continue To…”

A promising start to the 2022 season was all that was needed for Tifosi to start dreaming again. What happened next is known to all. So, this year, to give no hope to its fans, it seems like Ferrari has deliberately decided to start poorly. Standing at fourth after two rounds is thus no matter of pride and indicates a hard look at the working conditions inside the factory and garages for the Frederic Vasseur-led team.

The team currently stands only third in terms of performance, with no fix in sight, and is reasonably tied with Mercedes on the spot. Yet, the optimism is running high, which is an aching point for the Tifosi. How so? Because after claiming that the team is calm and the pressure is more external, the boss claims that despite the nightmare start; the team has made strides forward. 

Making comparisons to the juggernaut of Red Bull, as quoted by Motorsport, Frederic Vasseur said, “This doesn’t mean everything is bad. We know that we have taken some steps in Saudi Arabia compared to Bahrain. If you look at the single round performance, we increased the battle with Red Bull, the difference between Aston Martin and Mercedes. Our problems are not such big things, but rather about our racing pace in hard tire.”

“I do not ignore that if we continue to progress, we can catch Red Bull Racing. Still, we should not think whether we can reduce the difference. We have to concentrate on our own tasks, we know what our weaknesses are, we need to fix them.”

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The statement appears to be contradictory to media reports claiming that Ferrari is trying to retrace the RB18 in order to just compete against Red Bull. So, the claims of progress appear to fall flat on the fans’ ears.

No first driver at Ferrari

Ferrari may not have the car to compete for the championship this year. Yet the situation of command is clear; there is no first or second driver in the team, much like last year. And Frederic Vasseur has made it clear.

The Ferrari boss drew parallels between his drivers with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and stated that the pecking order will be decided as per the situation. As per him, the team will prefer to back the driver already in the lead, but until then, they will push with both drivers.

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Going ahead, Ferrari must find its philosophy for next year and tune itself to compete in second place at least. The rise of Aston Martin this year has shown them the mirror of truth as to what can be achieved over a winter break. So, next year, any excuses will not flatter the Tifosi.