Frederic Vasseur spoke to the press after the two free practice sessions of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
A tough Friday for Ferrari, which, after Charles Leclerc received a penalty for the battery change, had to face a second free practice session that was quite negative. Both drivers seemed far off from McLaren, both in terms of race pace and qualifying lap times. It will be very tough from a constructors’ perspective, but Vasseur is trying to stay optimistic.
Here are the words of the Frenchman after the Friday at Yas Marina:“It’s not the ideal start, but we need to maintain the same approach and focus on ourselves. We’ll see on Sunday night where we stand. Statistically, the Constructors’ title is very difficult, and with the penalty, it’s even harder. But it doesn’t matter, we’ll push until the last corner of the last lap with both cars. We’ll see where McLaren is, but it would be a mistake to focus too much on them. .
If we look at Las Vegas and Qatar, everything is always relative to the track temperature. It’s difficult to find the right tire window to be ready right away, which means we need to optimize things from one session to the next and from one tire set to another. But the most important lap will be the last one of Q3, and this means we still have some time to prepare.” “.
Vasseur then added: “McLaren is doing a good job. When the track changes, you have to adapt to the conditions, it’s all on the limit. So far, I think it’s been a good season for us, looking at victories and poles: the fact that we’re still in the fight for the Constructors’ Championship is a step forward. I’m also happy with the team spirit, it’s a good sign for the future. Where to improve in 2025? If I had to point to just one area, it would be the preparation of the lap: today Charles was caught in traffic, he had to slow down, and that’s not ideal.”