Ferrari is chasing
What was seen in Australia and during this morning’s Sprint Qualifying in Shanghai made it clear that Mercedes is the benchmark of the early stages of this 2026. Ferrari is still unable to make the most of its package in qualifying and on Friday in China it placed fourth with Hamilton six tenths behind, also preceded by Norris’s McLaren.
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Vasseur’s admission: Mercedes has a clear advantage
To the microphones of Canal+, team principal Frederic Vasseur lucidly analyzed: “In SQ3 we struggled to put everything together. We slightly underestimated the grip gap between the two sets of tires and in the end we didn’t do the lap we should have done.”
The French manager does not want to give fans illusions: “The gap to Mercedes is still there and will not be erased in 24 hours. In qualifying last week there were eight tenths, today six and maybe there could have been five. But we are there. It’s up to us to work and we know very well that it won’t be canceled in one or two races. They have an advantage and it’s up to us to try to get closer.”
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Vasseur finally concluded: “On energy delivery and distribution, Mercedes has a clear advantage and it’s up to us to try to improve on this aspect and do the best possible job on the chassis. Today we could have done better.”
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