The Ferrari of Frederic Vasseur is hovering. Fireworks in System 1 this week, girls and gents, and never a budget sort. The Maranello staff from america and Mexico has spoiled us with victories and document laptimes, managing to rekindle the hearth of hope even in probably the most skeptical followers who’re pessimistic by nature. Not way back, we might have paid a fortune for this end result, and now that we now have it, we will hardly consider it and are astonished. Maybe it’s too nice a present that we didn’t count on, we who’ve turn into sadly accustomed to the misfortunes of this sport.
However what has modified? If we factor about it, it has barely been a month since Frederic Vasseur’s final statements, which touted this phantom “group” that was supposed to avoid wasting the drifting ship known as Ferrari. And all (or nearly all) of us thought: “Oh expensive, the standard guarantees we had heard for thus lengthy from the previous Ferrari staff principal Mattia Binotto“. But, for as soon as, Frederic Vasseur appears to have seen the long run. It’s true that, because the saying goes, even a damaged clock is true twice a day, but when we need to be irreproachably optimistic, what can we consider his newest statements?
Sure, as a result of nobody really has a magic wand, however there are those that fake to have one, and who is aware of, possibly it really works out for them a bit. Listening to Frederic Vasseur’s voice on the F1 media microphones, all the pieces appears completely rosy and flowery; the truth is, let’s additionally mock our most formidable opponents, “allow them to wage conflict.” It fits us so long as they throw a wrench within the works. And, as they are saying, between the 2 who quarrel, the third one advantages. The Frenchman is hopeful. He sees success forward and is already aiming for the following race, however in keeping with him, in Brazil the Maranello engineers and technicians must begin from scratch.
We derive a continuously reworking staff that always appears to lose its elementary pillars, however when it finds them once more, it does so for actual. Certainly, what the Ferrari staff principal believes is that the Italian facet can be aggressive till the top. And all of us hope so. Above all, we want to relive the feelings of the final two Grands Prix. A totally reworked purple automotive that appears to have regained braveness and potential, that “sparkle” it misplaced within the final 5 months after the horrific aerodynamic replace launched by Ferrari on the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. Now the Maranello staff appears to have returned to shine, and Frederic Vasseur is savoring each second of it.
The necessary factor is to remain targeted and all the time look one step (and just one) forward. In any case, our Ferrari loves surprises, and they don’t seem to be all the time optimistic, as we all know it very nicely. The “sports activities miracle” has been achieved for now, a feared purple staff that does is now not afraid to problem its opponents. The Constructors’ Championship? It’s doable. From the third place it occupied, sluggish and discontented, the staff from Maranello is now trying down at its Austrian rivals. The restoration has been completely spectacular. Carlos Sainz’s victory on the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico Metropolis and Charles Leclerc’s third place have given a powerful enhance to the historic staff, propelling it on to second place, simply 29 factors behind McLaren forward of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
So if the drivers’ championship appeared like a forbidden dream, the constructors’ championship is now nearly inside attain, particularly after we intently observe the multitude of errors that Ferrari’s rivals have been making in current races. McLaren, above all, seems to be its personal worst enemy. It appears unbelievable, however because of this or that, different groups are displaying indicators of weak point and nervousness, whereas Frederic Vasseur’s Ferrari, which has already endured greater than sufficient fatigue, is freely navigating by means of the raindrops, remaining dry.
And in the Mexican race, certainly, something can occur; whether or not it was the 20-second penalty for Max Verstappen or the Alex Albon – Yuki Tsunoda incident. The very fact is that Ferrari discovered itself in the fitting place on the proper time and simply needed to hit the accelerator. Carlos Sainz managed the state of affairs excellently, displaying from the beginning of the Mexican weekend that he was fired up and keen to attain this purpose, nearly wanting to offer his staff a pleasant slap: “You need to ship me away? I’ll show you the potential you’re shedding.”
In the meantime, we now have to say that Mercedes continues to be ready for the 2026 System 1 championship to shine, however our almost-number 44 isn’t significantly distinguishing himself and takes a myriad of laps to overhaul teammate George Russell. Subsequently, all he can purpose for is a step beneath the winners’ podium. A Ferrari that we like, that has character, however it should additionally watch out to not overdo it and to handle the state of affairs with readability, or it dangers retracing Crimson Bull’s fall, which appears to have pushed so arduous on the accelerator that it has run out of gas.
Within the meantime, let’s hope that Frederic Vasseur’s feedback are prophetic and that we will totally get pleasure from these final races of the 2024 System 1 championship, now that Ferrari lastly appears conscious of its capabilities and has nothing to lose. The Ferrari F1 staff is set to offer it its all, with out hiding and with out that primal concern of constructing errors that always led to errors within the not so distant previous. There are nonetheless 4 races left to exhibit that Frederic Vasseur’s purple staff just isn’t a mirage, however a well-established construction on which to construct future successes in System 1.
— see video above —