Last year, especially in qualifying, Ferrari was extremely strong in Las Vegas. But this year, the situation could be different for the Scuderia, which would have difficulty warming up its tires properly. And who in any case has a faster car in the race than in qualifying this season.
Frédéric Vasseur, the boss of Maranello, is he nevertheless confident, before this perhaps decisive weekend for the constructors' ranking?
“I think it’s not a question of trust. It's a matter of starting from scratch every weekend. We know that the battle is extremely close this season and that it takes nothing to go from 1st place to 5th. We also know that the track is improving a lot and if you compare, we were fast last year, but in the end it was Verstappen who won the race. What I want is to win on Sunday, not to be the fastest in FP1. »
Objective for Ferrari: the constructors’ title
Ferrari is today, in the constructors' standings, 36 points behind McLaren. But the dynamic seems to be more for the Scuderia.
“It’s not a question of dynamics this year” reframes the French again.
“If you look, I think Red Bull was dominating the first three or four races at the start of the season. Then we had a good streak, then it was Mercedes in the summer, then McLaren again and us. It's so tight that it changes from one weekend to the next. It's not about momentum or anything else, because now we have the last three events in front of us with completely different characteristics for the tracks, for the temperature, etc. And it's not about dominating one car. »
“I keep in mind the Spa weekend where you had Verstappen in FP1, then McLaren in FP2, and then probably Mercedes in FP3. Then we started from pole, and then Mercedes won the race. And all four teams dominated a session over the weekend. »
“And I think it will be like this until the end of the season. This means you have to be in the right place at the right time. But it's not about one team or another dominating the next four or five events. »
Whether Ferrari wins the title or not, this year will remain a clear season of progress for Maranello.
Frédéric Vasseur can be proud of this and without false modesty, he recalls some figures for Ferrari.
“Last year we won a race. This year we are at five, we score maybe 50% more points than a year ago. We are definitely on the right track. But in the end, on the evening of Abu Dhabi, we will just be focused on the ranking, not on the numbers or statistics. »
However, Frédéric Vasseur does not want to have his mind focused on the ranking at each lap of the race this Sunday…
“And for sure, the closer you get to the end, the more important the championship becomes. But the best way for us is just to concentrate race by race, to concentrate on this one, and not to think about the championship, because that's the best way to deconcentrate. »
