Ferrari had a difficult summer after poor developments which caused the SF-24 to regress. Frédéric Vasseur looked back on the Scuderia’s difficulties at this time, and how the team has recovered since the summer break.
“We had a difficult time after Monaco, but we were able to recover after this sequence” Vasseur said. “As a team it was a good decision. Sometimes it’s difficult to react in this kind of situation.”
“The team did a really good job of coming back. We had a good run. We definitely missed points in Baku, but since the summer break I think we’ve done a good job.”
Vasseur is happy to see that nothing is stopping his employees in the work process. He explains that the principle he instills in his team is to move forward, even if it means taking the wrong direction, rather than doing nothing.
“I just want people to work as a team, for the team. I want them to be aggressive, to take risks. The motivation is there. It’s not necessary to motivate people here, you have to sometimes even calm them down a little.”
“The most important thing is to be willing to make mistakes, work on them, try to improve and have that mindset of trying to do better than the day before. We’re just trying to make a best work. The ability to take risks and evaluate risk management is crucial in your business.”
“We have to accept that we don’t blame someone if they make a mistake. It’s a culture, it’s not just a decision. We have to accept and take more risks, we have to manage those risks and we have to accept making mistakes.”
“We will learn from it. We are in this process. I asked the team to be more aggressive and two or three races later we were disqualified last year! But that’s the price If we are closer to the limit, it will pay off eventually.
The Frenchman does not want to think about long-term goals and their achievement, preferring to concentrate on the next races: “I don’t want to talk about it – my only concern is performance for the next session. I’m trying to get the team to take that approach.”
“We are focusing on the next event, on short and medium term development, but we are not thinking about the championship at all. This is by far the best situation. All the media is focusing on Red Bull and McLaren, which is huge for us!”
“An even better show” in Las Vegas?
Ferrari now turns to Las Vegas, scene of the antepenultimate race of the season, and the start of the last treble of the season. Vasseur explains what awaits the drivers and teams this weekend: “It’s time for the last triple race which will decide the outcome of this very busy season.”
“The last three Grands Prix all involve night races in the desert: we start in Las Vegas, on a very fast street circuit with few turns, several of them 90 degrees.”
“However, there are still a lot of interesting variables, starting with the temperature, which drops significantly at night. This means that it will be particularly important to place the tires in the correct operating window for qualifying and the race.”
“This is only the second time we have raced at this venue and we can expect a great show, even better than last season, which already put the spotlight on Formula 1.”
“For our part, we intend to fight at the forefront, as we did last year: we know that we have the potential to achieve a good result, provided we ensure that we are at the top of our game in every detail.”
“We prepared well at the factory and Charles, Carlos and the whole team were able to enjoy a very short break, ready to go again, more determined than ever. We are confident and we know what we have left must be done to maintain the fight for the constructors’ title.”
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