Frederic Wasser: Our car is difficult to drive

Frederic Vasser has been at the head of the Ferrari team for more than seven months and this period has not been as smooth as he would like, but almost from the start it was clear to him and his new subordinates that they should not be counted on particularly good luck.

“We did not expect such results, although everything was clear from the first day on the track,” Vasseur admitted in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. – The most important thing in such cases is that the team takes the right measures. And the team reacted well, but getting back in the leading group takes time.

Some people think that problems in Formula 1 can be solved in a week, but in fact it is like a very large ship that has to change course – it doesn’t happen immediately. And the situation in the specialized market can be compared to football: 50 of the best engineers have signed contracts for three years or more, and to invite someone you have to wait or pay huge fines.

I want to say that this is not easy. In addition, there is another unfavorable factor when we compare with British teams: their bases are close together, and if you hire someone, that person does not have to change his place of residence, his children stay in the same school, he sticks to his old habits.

But in order for an engineer to go to Ferrari, you must first convince him, then his wife, and a week later their children … “

Responding to a question about the shortcomings of the SF-23, Vasser emphasized: “The logical explanation is that it is difficult to manage. On a dry track in one fast lap you can still take the risk and push it to the limit, but for the whole race it’s unrealistic, so the pace is reduced. It has to do with aerodynamics.

In 2022 the team had a good car but we tried to make it even better but underestimated that when something is pushed to the limit it can make life difficult for the riders. The car sometimes behaves unpredictably, does not give stable downforce.

At the end of July we stopped working with the SF-23 in the wind tunnel, but we still have a few technical innovations ready, which we will present either in Qatar or in Austin. As for the 2024 car, we are still in the concept phase, although work on the simulator is already well underway.

We need to find a different approach, find a way to make sure the riders don’t have to be on the limit all the time. In any case, the car should not be ready by the end of the year, but by the Bahrain Grand Prix, which will be held in early March. We still have a few months.”

Of course, Frederic Vasseur also commented on the work of the Scuderia drivers: “There is always room for improvement, this applies to the whole team and the drivers. Charles didn’t expect the season to turn out like this and at first he attacked more aggressively than he should have. But it seems that he has adapted better to the situation now. Carlos is a very consistent performer, so we consider him a good guide.

Leclerc is more impulsive by nature and if something goes wrong he will not hold back. Although sometimes it would be better for him and for the team if he calmed down first and spoke later. When heated, you can’t give accurate estimates, and when the rider is in front of the microphone, he doesn’t have full information yet.

It is better not to jump to conclusions. Charles has always shown great speed, but this year, if you look at the qualifying results, Carlos is already closer to his partner than in the past.

On the rumored Ferrari interest in Lewis Hamilton, Vasseur said: “We talk to him at every Grand Prix, because in 2006 he played for my ART team and we are still friends. At the beginning of his career in Formula 1, I helped him when he moved to McLaren, and we communicate regularly.

When they see us together in the paddock, there is of course a commotion, but we have a good relationship. I don’t want to compare him to our riders, that makes no sense. But the contribution of a good racer to the common cause is not limited to pilots – it is also work with engineers, with strategists. And in this case, a lot of things become easier when you have a driver of the level of Hamilton, Verstappen or Leclerc.

Everyone who works in Formula 1 has a passion for racing and it’s all the more fun for them to work with champions.”

Frederic Wasser also spoke about what is being done to strengthen the staff of the team: “We have invited about 25 people, but we need more. Although none of them have started working yet.

A contract has been signed with Loic Serra, he is known for his work at Mercedes and he should come to us on January 1, 2025, but we are trying to speed it up. I’ll try to persuade Toto Wolff if we go sailing together.

Let’s say this will soon be the most important part of my job at Ferrari – you have to build good relationships with people, convince them to come to us. The hardest part is negotiating with those specialists who are first in line, and the rest will already follow their example.”