Ferrari’s drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who had qualified in fourth and fifth positions, unexpectedly fell to ninth and tenth in Sunday’s race. Their standings weren’t improved by stopping prior to a safety car event that provided competitors with an advantageous opportunity for less expensive stops.
The other primary issue, according to Vasseur, was the team’s inadequate data on tyre wear from Friday’s session. Charles Leclerc missed all of FP2 due to a mechanical problem, and as a result, the team’s engineers misjudged the effects of degradation with the newly introduced Pirelli tyres at Silverstone.
Ferrari had previously suffered significant issues with tyre degradation earlier this season, and it’s been a persistent concern that the team has been trying to mitigate.
Vasseur expressed his dissatisfaction with the race result, saying, “Starting from fourth and fifth positions, we felt after the qualifications that we could have performed far better than this,” when asked by F1 Flow.com. “Finishing in ninth and tenth positions is certainly not satisfactory.
“We now need to scrutinize the entire weekend, not just the race. We didn’t run the long stint on Friday, only used the soft compound, and Charles was immobilized in the garage. We were somewhat apprehensive about tyre wear.
“Perhaps we were influenced by the initial races of the season, and today [Sunday] we were excessively conservative in tyre management and didn’t push enough.
“Admittedly, we experienced some misfortune with the safety car, but that’s beyond our control. Instead, we should focus on factors we can control. Frankly, we could have been more aggressive.”
Regarding Leclerc’s relatively early pit stop on the 18th lap, Vasseur explained: “We were contending with Russell, and we thought he would pit and we would have to duel with Russell again.
“Of course, with hindsight, we can now say we should have extended our run and pushed the tyres harder.
“However, I believe our biggest loss was not at this stage of the race. Rather, it was when we fitted Charles with the hard tyres, and he completed about 10 or 12 laps prior to the safety car without any tyre wear, indicating he could have pushed harder.
“It was a misunderstanding about tyre wear. The problem originated on Friday, not in today’s [Sunday] race.”
Vasseur conceded that addressing degradation was a major goal of the recent updates.
“It’s hard to claim we performed well when finishing ninth and tenth,” he said.
“However, we definitely experienced less tyre wear today, which was our main problem at the start of the season. That wasn’t the case today.
“Although we may have lacked speed compared to Mercedes, it was not due to tyre wear. As for speed, it’s possible that the car was a bit unstable due to the wind. We knew beforehand that Silverstone could pose a challenge for us.
“The wind was severe, similar to Miami, but our performance was significantly better than in Miami. This is because we are focusing on this aspect during development.
“Undoubtedly, the car was unstable. I don’t know if it was more so than others. It seemed like we faced significant challenges, perhaps more than others, when we were in the pack. But that’s still a characteristic of the car.”
Also read:
The inconsistency of F1 car resulted in Ferrari’s struggles in British GP
What the management reshuffle at Alpine signifies for its F1 team
Russell accuses Leclerc of borderline “questionable” defense in the British GP
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Ferrari’s British GP F1 Performance
Why did Ferrari’s performance falter in the British GP F1 race?
Ferrari’s performance was impacted by a combination of factors. These included an overly cautious approach due to insufficient tyre degradation data from Friday’s session, the team’s pit stops happening before a safety car intervention, and the performance of their car in the windy conditions at Silverstone.
Who were the drivers for Ferrari in the British GP F1 race?
The drivers for Ferrari in the British GP F1 race were Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
What role did tyre degradation play in Ferrari’s British GP performance?
The Ferrari team had inadequate information on tyre degradation due to Leclerc’s loss of the entire FP2 session because of a mechanical issue. As a result, the engineers overestimated the tyre wear with the new Pirelli construction, leading to an overly cautious approach during the race.
What was the impact of the safety car event on Ferrari’s performance?
The safety car event gave competitors an advantage as they could make less expensive pit stops. Unfortunately, both Ferrari drivers had made their stops before the safety car intervention, which put them at a disadvantage.
How did wind conditions affect Ferrari’s performance in the British GP F1 race?
The wind conditions at Silverstone made the Ferrari car unstable, which may have led to a lack of pace compared to competitors like Mercedes. This is an aspect the team had been focusing on in development, so the impact was less severe than in previous windy conditions such as in Miami.
More about Ferrari’s British GP F1 Performance
- Ferrari’s Official Website
- F1 Official Website
- Details about British GP
- Pirelli Tyres in F1
- Details about the Safety Car’s role in F1
5 comments
wind at Silverstone always plays its part, doesn’t it? looks like ferrari was not ready for it this time. hope they bounce back soon.
not making the most of the safety car…ouch! thats gonna hurt ferrari big time. Timing is everything in this game, especially with pit stops!
No surprises here, if u don’t have enough data on tyre degradation, ur in for a tough race. Leclerc missing FP2 is a big deal. Lesson to be learned, folks!
Safety car always changes the game, but isn’t that what makes F1 races thrilling. Feel bad for Leclerc and Sainz though, better luck next time guys!
Cant belive it, Ferrari had such a great start at the season. what happened to them at British GP, seemed like they were not the same team, overly cautious and all.