Vasseur predicts performance 'reset' from Barcelona

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur believes the Spanish Grand Prix could bring a reset in terms of performance at the front of the field, suggesting there will only be small upgrades prior to that.

The upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola has been identified as a potential venue for significant upgrades for many of the grid, given the proximity to the various team factories and the fact it’s the first race of a triple header. However, Vasseur is looking ahead to the more stringent front wing flexibility tests that will be introduced in Barcelona as the key point of the upcoming run, and downplays the likelihood of a major package being brought to Imola.

“For sure everybody will have a new front wing in Barcelona,” Vasseur said. “By definition and by regulation. I think it will be perhaps a reset of the performance of everybody.

“Between now and Barcelona, we have Imola and Monaco, where we will bring some small upgrades. But honestly, I think the main issue today for us, if you consider McLaren, it's a matter of exploiting the potential [better] compared to the others … [and] I think the focus of the team in the next two races is to put everything together and to get the best out of the car.”

Vasseur says the track records of both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton convince him that the maximum potential of the car was exploited in Miami from a driver’s point of view, where the pair qualified eighth and 12th respectively,

“I trust completely Charles and Lewis. Charles, if you have a look at the last five years, and Lewis is the record [holder] of the competition. They are able to do the job in qualifying – both of them, it's one of their characteristics – and today it's not the case with this car. It means that we have to improve, and we have to do a much better job at this stage of the weekend.”

Leclerc agrees with Vasseur that the car is holding the drivers back significantly, even if the last race in Miami risked being overshadowed by team order discussions as the pair tried to chase down the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli.

“We need to [work together] for sure,” Leclerc said. “I think we will be quite aligned. On the fact that [Miami] wasn't the Sunday we wanted, and even though the pace is not there, I don't think there were any miracles.

“If everything would have gone perfectly, maybe we would have finished in front of Kimi, but that's it. There wasn't much more in the car, so I think we need to separate the two things. Yes, we need to fix those issues that probably cost us one position, but the other seven or six positions are down to the car. This we need to make better.”