Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says the Italian outfit’s underperformance in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was rooted in its qualifying woes, while the Frenchman lifted the lid on the late-race team orders that saw Charles Leclerc step aside for Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc, who had started on the medium tyre, found himself ahead of Hamilton once both men had stopped for their only tyre change. But as the race unfolded, Ferrari believed that Hamilton’s hard tyre strategy offered a greater chance to reel in McLaren’s Lando Norris up ahead.
The move, aimed at maximizing the team’s points haul, sparked discussion among fans – and not least with Leclerc. After the race, Vasseur provided clarity on the strategic calls that shaped Ferrari’s outcome in Baku.
“I think the situation was clear for us, that Lewis had a tyre advantage, and we asked Charles to let him go to try to overtake… Norris,” the Scuderia chief explained.
“On top of that, Charles had the issue with the recovery, and we are not at the top [use] on the engine. I think that it was the best option for us to do this move.”
Despite the tactical switch, Hamilton was unable to find a way past the McLaren, leaving Ferrari with little to show for their gamble.
When it became clear the move hadn’t paid off, Ferrari called for the positions to be swapped back before the chequered flag. But things didn’t quite go as scripted.
“We asked to swap back, and it looks like Lewis had a misjudgement on the position of the start and finish line,” Vasseur admitted.
The end result saw Hamilton classified just 0.4s ahead of Leclerc in eighth, leaving the Monegasque ninth. Vasseur stressed there was no sign of discontent within the team over the shuffle.
The outcome also meant Ferrari slipped behind Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship, the Italian outfit now sitting four points adrift in the battle for second. But Vasseur was quick to insist that the damage was done – and not for the first time – long before Sunday.
“If we lost something, it was yesterday, not today,” he said, pointing to Saturday’s dramatic qualifying session that saw Hamilton bow out in Q2 and Leclerc crash in Q3.
“Today, we started behind Norris, we finished behind Norris. It is like it is. It's more yesterday, I think, that we had the car. The driver was able to fight for P1, all the free practise, and we finished P10 and P12.
“Lewis - FP1, FP2, FP3 went well. There was a good pace over the weekend. The first set in Q1 went well also.
“And in Q2 he did two laps, but out of the pace. This is the main issue of the weekend, these two laps. Because, honestly, if you put him on the first four, I think he finishes on the podium.”
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For Vasseur, the mixed fortunes in Baku do not mean Ferrari is off track. Instead, he sees signs of a team finding consistency even if the execution still lags behind.
“We need to do a better job collectively, because to be P12 is not the result that we are expecting. But it's true that the last couple of weekends, if you consider this one, Monza, even Zandvoort, the pace was good. We are getting there now.
“One thing is to have the potential, the other one is to deliver. We need [to complete the] execution to do our job.”
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