Ferrari issue response after ‘big’ Red Bull ‘trump card’ discovered

Ferrari risk losing P3 in the standings unless they resolve their ongoing issues

Fred Vasseur is encouraged that Ferrari have been stepping out of their comfort zone in F1 2024 as he believes that has been one of Red Bull’s “biggest trump cards” in recent times.

Although Ferrari took a misstep earlier this year with their Spanish Grand Prix upgrades, prior to that Scuderia had been in good form starting back at last year’s Dutch Grand Prix when they seemed to turn a corner with the SF-23.

Ferrari copying ‘one of Red Bull’s biggest trump cards’

Scoring more podiums than any team except the dominant Red Bull outfit, Ferrari continued that trend in the early part of this season with the SF-24, which is an evolution of the F1 2023 car.

However, accelerating their development plan, they brought new parts including a revised floor to the Spanish Grand Prix which introduced porpoising to the car and forced them to roll back up on the updates.

But despite the negative impact that’s had on recent results, Vasseur sees encouraging signs with today’s Ferrari team more willing to be “aggressive” and take risks.

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“We became more aggressive,” he told Auto Motor und Sport of the last 12 months. “For me, this new basic attitude had more impact than anything else.

“That means daring to step out of your comfort zone. Whether it’s the amount of fuel you need for the race, the weight, the cooling, or the car’s set-up. In my opinion, that was one of Red Bull’s biggest trump cards.”

Ferrari team boss accepts the ‘price’ of risk versus reward

But put to him that risks can lead to mistakes, as Ferrari made with their Spanish updates, Vasseur defended his stance.

“Yes, but it also sharpens the senses,” he insisted.

“For example: if you want to push the weight to the limit, you have to think very carefully beforehand about how much weight the car will lose during the race due to wear and tear on the underbody, the tyres, the brakes, and the oil consumption. So you learn to push the limit in all areas.

“If the result is three kilograms and you take four, you have already lost weight. The same goes for cooling. I can open the fairing one notch more than the limit. Then I have a nice life without worries.

“Depending on the circumstances, I may have to manage a little more here and there during the race, but the bottom line is that it costs less than it brings. Every kilo too much, every degree cooler than necessary, costs you three hundredths. In total, you have given away a tenth. That can make up three positions on the starting grid.

“If you operate at the limit, you have to think a lot more. The more attention you pay to a topic, the more precisely you work. This thinking continues in all other areas.”

“Of course,” he accepted, “you expose yourself to the risk of making mistakes. If things are going really badly, you just have to slow down a bit to stay within limits, or you’ll be disqualified.

“But that’s the price you have to pay if you want to be at the front. That’s how your competitors see it too.

“When the field is so evenly balanced, you can’t leave anything on the table. That’s why I take responsibility for mistakes. If they happen because we were aggressive, then I accept mistakes. If they arise from carelessness, then that’s a different story.”

Ferrari have slipped behind McLaren to third in the Constructors’ Championship where they trail the Woking team by 21 points.

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Ferrari Fred Vasseur

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