Vasseur names key to Ferrari success: 'This is not trivial'

Frederic Vasseur acknowledges that the technical progress of Formula 1 cars has accelerated in recent years. Nevertheless, he believes this does not mean that drivers have become less important. Indeed, they can actually make the difference.

With the new regulations in place since the 2022 season, the performances of the different teams are closer together. It is an additional reason for the formations to look for details that can help their drivers move faster around the track. In doing so, Vasseur leans on the experience of his drivers, he told Racecar Engineering.

"The first part of their contribution is at the track, keeping consistent and pushing the car to its limit, as well as the race craft regarding wheel-to-wheel battles and making progress in every stint," Vasseur states. "The second part is to understand the physics at play and to work with the engineers to exploit the car’s potential under development."

"The third element is personal, which is maintaining their desire to keep pushing themselves and motivating the team to keep pushing and exploiting all the hard work that goes into producing the car and running the car at the track. This is not trivial."

Hope at Ferrari

Ferrari's new car is reportedly over a second faster compared to last year. For the Italian formation, it would mean it can compete even better with Red Bull Racing and Mercedes. Last season, it finished second among constructors.