Fred Vasseur OPTIMISTIC despite thorn in Ferrari's side ahead of British Grand Prix

British Grand Prix

Vasseur OPTIMISTIC despite thorn in Ferrari's side ahead of British GP

The Scuderia have strengthened after a disastrous start to the season and their boss is feeling encouraged

Lauren Sneath

Saturday 8 July 2023 18:29

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Fred Vasseur appeared cautiously optimistic about a Ferrari resurgence for the British Grand Prix despite worries over how the weather could impact the race.

Despite rain and wind, Charles Leclerc topped the scoreboard during FP3 and then qualified fourth with Carlos Sainz fifth.

Vasseur, who has experienced a rocky first few months as Ferrari team principal, is feeling positive about where his team is moving.

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He told Sky Sports F1: “So far, so good. It was a bit tricky yesterday with Charles. He was not able to do some laps with the slick on the afternoon, we had an electrical issue.

“This morning went pretty well, that even if Max didn’t use the soft, we have to pay attention. The car looks well balanced and on the one lap, still it looks ok.”

Red Bull still an ominous threat

But Vasseur was more cautious when it came to questions over Ferrari’s capability against the dominant Red Bulls.

Asked if Leclerc or Sainz could bring the fight to polesitter Max Verstappen, he said: “It’s not so obvious because Red Bull won the last two. We have to stay pragmatic and just be focused on the result at the end. It’s true that we made a step forward over the last two or three events.

“We are more consistent in the race and the pace was probably a bit better. It’s still a long way to go and a lot of upgrades to come until the end.

“It was much better [in] Austria and Canada for sure. We were consistent and the delta [from] qualifying to the race was ok.

“Now we know that Silverstone is much more demanding also, that it will be another story depending on the weather, but it’s much more demanding in Silverstone and it will be another challenge.”