With nearly two years into his role as Ferrari team principal, Vasseur is slowly aiming to return the Scuderia to its former glory.
While the team currently sits third in the Constructors’ Championship, in the same spot they were at this point last year, there’s more happening behind the scenes than we know.
Ferrari has seen a major improvement throughout the first half of the 2024 season, amassing 345 points so far, a 117-point increase compared to last year, and they’re just 63 points away from the championship lead.
Apparently, the mood within Ferrari is calm and collected, with Vasseur instilling a sense of stability within the team,“Internally, the mood is OK. For sure we wanted to get more, and probably we overreacted on some events, trying to get more.”
“When you have an aggressive attitude, sometimes you get less. It’s where we have to stay calm.”
“You can’t keep margin. You have to take risks everywhere if you want to win,” Vasseur said in an interview with F1, echoing the mentality that has kept Red Bull, and Max Verstappen, at the top.
“I think it would be a mistake to imagine there is a ‘To-Do’ list because it’s much more about a continuous improvement approach.”
Vasseur seems to be channelling the team’s frustration, attempting to transform it into motivation. The biggest challenge for him as team principal so far has been to cultivate an environment where team members feel confident pushing the limits without fear of backlash.
And he seems to be succeeding, with Ferrari team members making new bold steps.
“If I have to be proud of something, it’s not the result. It’s more the fact everybody is more keen to take risks, a bit less scared—the consequence is the result.”
“It’s the life of a team, that you have up and downs.”
It’s this mentality that has seen the team through some tough weekends this season, including challenging races in Canada, Spain, and Austria. Instead of letting poor results drag them down, Ferrari has stayed focused on understanding their weaknesses and improving.
“We had four tough weekends [Canada, Spain, Austria and Britain] – the mood in the team was not good, as it was not what we wanted, but there was positivity about trying to catch up and understand why and fix it. The attitude is good.”
The season has also highlighted the dynamic between current Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Leclerc’s recent performances in Hungary and Spa, where he secured fourth and third places respectively, show that the team are capable of more.
Sainz, who will make way for Lewis Hamilton in 2025, has often matched his teammate’s pace, with Vasseur commenting that: “he is mega consistent, he is always there, he is very dedicated, very focused and has a good understanding of the car.”
Maintaining a positive outlook for the team is “a huge challenge, it’s probably the most demanding job in my business,”Vasseur admitted.
“But the mood is there and the mood is important for the final result. We have to keep the positive attitude that we haveand try to do a better job.”
