Frédéric Vasseur urges Ferrari 'focus' but believes Red Bull CAN be caught

Fred Vasseur, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2023 — Photo: © LAT Images

Frédéric Vasseur

Vasseur urges Ferrari 'focus' but believes Red Bull CAN be caught

It hasn't been a smooth start for Frédéric Vasseur at Ferrari.

Harry Smith

Thursday 23 March 2023 08:57 Updated: 09:53

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Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur has called for his team to focus following a difficult start to the 2023 season.

The 54-year-old Frenchman took over at Maranello during the winter after Mattia Binotto's turbulent spell in the hot seat came to an end. But it hasn't been a smooth start for the former Alfa Romeo man.

A mechanical issue forced Charles Leclerc out of the season opener in Bahrain, while the Prancing Horse had the fourth-fastest car on track at the recent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

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Vasseur has wasted no time shaking up the structure of the team, but with such a considerable margin to Red Bull, the 2023 season already looks like a write-off for the Scuderia.

Ferrari were no match for Red Bull in Saudi Arabia

Vasseur: 'We have to improve'

Despite the recent loss of performance, Vasseur remains confident that Ferrari can be back in the mix before long.

When pressed on whether Ferrari could catch up to Red Bull, he stated: “I think so. We have to continue to push.

“I think it’s not the right attitude to think about the gap, to think will we be able to close the gap and so on.

“We have to be focused on ourselves, that we know when we are weak, and we have to improve on this one."

These comments follow Vasseur's efforts to improve the working culture within the Scuderia Ferrari organisation.

“We know that we have to improve, but I think it’s the DNA of our sport.

“It’s not just due to the DNA of the current situation. We know that we have to work and we’ll continue, and be sure that from tomorrow morning, I’ll be in the office and push like hell.”