Vasseur sees ‘huge step forward’ in Ferrari’s high-speed performance

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says the Japanese Grand Prix highlighted the amount of progress the team has made with its high-speed performance in 2024.

Carlos Sainz finished third and Charles Leclerc fourth behind the two Red Bulls on a Suzuka track where Leclerc was some 44 seconds adrift of Max Verstappen six months ago. With Sainz just over 20s off Verstappen last Sunday, Vasseur says the improvements are clear to see even on tracks where Ferrari is not able to challenge for victory.

“I think we made a huge step forward on the high speed compared to last year, and for sure Suzuka is a good example,” Vasseur said. “On the tire management, we have our weaknesses — for sure it was a compromise [to improve it]. You take from somewhere and then somewhere else…