Ferrari on the podium in Japan
Three GPs and three podiums. Ferrari confirms its form at Suzuka with Charles Leclerc’s third place, undoubtedly among the best of the day with a series of breathtaking overtakes on the outside of Turn 1. With the same maneuver, the Monegasque overtakes first teammate Lewis Hamilton and then George Russell, who had passed him exiting 130R. The result of #16 thus brings a smile to team principal Frederic Vasseur, who comments on the Japanese GP and clarifies the “new championship” that will start in Miami.
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Vasseur’s words
“There have been several misunderstandings regarding my statements. When I said there will be a new championship starting from Miami, I was referring to the updates and the work of all the teams on the grid: we will bring updates and we will have time to work on the software; that’s why there will be a new championship, I didn’t mean to say that we will be the only ones working between Suzuka and Miami“, these are the words of the Frenchman to Sky Sport F1. “Performance comes from all components, we must work on every aspect. We certainly have a deficit on the straights, but this is almost frozen until the ADUO. We can work on aerodynamics, tires, setup, and we are already doing so: if you focus on only one aspect of performance, you lose pace“.
“I don’t want any misunderstandings, everyone will develop the car and improve by Miami, we are certainly at the beginning of a new generation, so there is greater development potential compared to last year“.
The gap with Mercedes is confirmed to be more evident in qualifying than in the race: “I think it’s the trend since the start of the season. I don’t know if they have a 5, 6, or 7-tenths advantage in qualifying, while they have a bit less in the race. I think it’s also due to the Overtake Mode, because as soon as you are in a fight you can have a sort of slipstream that allows you to stay with them. But this means that to stay ahead we need to take a small step, and that is our goal“.
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