Might Ferrari have accomplished one thing otherwise in Mexico? Fred Vasseur reveals an fascinating behind-the-scenes element
Frédéric Vasseur has shared an enchanting behind-the-scenes story about Ferrari’s efficiency within the Mexican Grand Prix. After securing a second consecutive podium with Charles Leclerc ending in second place, and Lewis Hamilton solely managing eighth, the Ferrari Crew Principal mirrored on whether or not the crew might have made any completely different strategic decisions.
The French supervisor additionally mentioned the penalty given to Lewis Hamilton. Whereas Fred Vasseur agreed with the stewards’ determination itself, he disagreed with the severity of the sanction, explaining that “ten seconds are an excessive amount of for anybody to get well.” The penalty, based on him, price the seven-time World Champion a possible fourth place and even an opportunity to battle for the rostrum. The incident with Charles Leclerc in the beginning actually performed an element, although Fred Vasseur admitted that Hamilton made a mistake by not giving again the place to Max Verstappen. As for Ferrari’s personal race, the French supervisor was happy total however questioned whether or not one thing completely different might have been accomplished. Right here’s what he mentioned within the press convention, as reported by the Italian web site AutoRacer.it.
Vasseur on Ferrari’s strategic decisions in Mexico: “An nearly good execution”
“It’s the one race of the 12 months the place we use this degree of cooling,” Fred Vasseur defined following the Mexican Grand Prix – “Rather a lot depends upon the cooling of the brakes, Energy Unit, and tyres — and it additionally depends upon the place you might be on monitor, whether or not you’re in visitors or not. That may make an enormous distinction. As well as, with these open cooling vents on the automobile, you lose efficiency, however you don’t know precisely how a lot in comparison with others. As soon as we obtained right here, from the very first lap, we noticed that it was going to be a very good weekend.”
Due to the sleek asphalt of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the SF-25 was capable of run with a decrease journey peak, attaining a wonderful mechanical stability between the entrance and rear axles. The ultimate end result — second and third locations — was each surprising and really welcome. Returning persistently to battle among the many prime groups is essential for morale inside Maranello and helps ease a few of the pressure with each media and followers. The cooling setup decisions labored properly, permitting Ferrari to handle brake temperatures with out the fixed concern that had affected earlier races.
As Fred Vasseur defined, the technique was at all times to go for a one-stop race, however he admitted that in hindsight, issues may need been optimized additional by mirroring Verstappen’s technique and beginning on the medium tire compound. Nonetheless, what actually made the distinction in latest races has been execution — an element that Ferrari lastly appears to have mastered, exhibiting consistency and maximizing its accessible potential.
“In hindsight, you at all times suppose you could possibly have accomplished higher”
“In hindsight, you may at all times take into consideration one thing you could possibly have accomplished higher,” the previous Alfa Romeo crew boss continued. “Max confirmed that beginning on the medium tire and getting a very good slipstream can work, however I consider that should you’re not out of place, the tender remains to be the only option for the beginning right here. We’re speaking about tenths and even hundredths of a second — one gust of wind or a little bit of soiled air, and also you go from P2 to P6, and that adjustments all the pieces. It’s a really shut battle. Currently, we’ve made an actual step ahead in placing all the pieces collectively over the course of the weekend. There’s no feeling, like in Baku or Singapore, that we left one thing on the desk. Even in these races, the automobile wasn’t dangerous, however we simply didn’t maximize all the pieces.”
The Ferrari boss underlined that, in comparison with earlier races in 2025, the crew has considerably improved its weekend administration, minimizing errors and enhancing consistency. For the primary time in months, Fred Vasseur feels that Ferrari has reached some extent the place execution — reasonably than uncooked automobile tempo — is the actual differentiator. This regular development has allowed the SF-25 to precise its true potential extra often.
Might Ferrari have gained the race? And a phrase on Oliver Bearman
“It was a optimistic weekend,” Fred Vasseur mentioned. “We had good tempo in qualifying, not removed from pole place, nevertheless it was already clear from Friday’s lengthy runs that Lando Norris was on one other degree, and that was confirmed within the race. He had not less than half a second benefit over everybody. When you’re not P1 at Flip 1, all the pieces turns into far more sophisticated. You possibly can have a six or seven-tenths benefit in race tempo, however should you don’t overtake on the primary strive, it turns into very troublesome. We noticed that with Oscar Piastri towards Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman.”
Vasseur additionally took the chance to reward Oliver Bearman’s excellent efficiency. The younger Haas driver delivered a spectacular race, ending in fourth place and holding off Oscar Piastri’s McLaren and the 2 Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. “At one level, I actually believed he might make it to the rostrum,” Fred Vasseur admitted. “He has already had some nice weekends, although typically with small errors right here and there. However in Mexico, he was good.”
With feedback like these, it’s clear that Ferrari sees a brilliant future forward with the younger British driver. Oliver Bearman is extensively anticipated to put on crimson within the close to future — even perhaps as Lewis Hamilton’s eventual successor. A lot will rely on how aggressive the 2026 vehicles show to be, as their efficiency will seemingly form the upcoming driver market actions. Charles Leclerc, too, might play a central position in these discussions, as Ferrari continues to plan for its subsequent period of Formulation 1 success.
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