Ferrari’s long wait for a Formula 1 championship has continued, as it finished runner-up to McLaren in the 2024 constructors’ standings by 14 points
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur believes the way the Scuderia reacted to being “in the s***” earlier in the year provides promise for its 2025 Formula 1 campaign.
The Italian marque finished runner-up to McLaren in the constructors’ standings despite a late-season charge, having fallen behind the eventual champions and Red Bull early in 2024.
But wins for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in a relentless push almost saw Ferrari overcome the margin to the top, though it proved too much to do as Lando Norris’s win in Abu Dhabi wrapped up the crown for McLaren.
Given its struggles early in the year, particularly in Spain (Ferrari finished fifth and sixth) and Austria (Sainz took third but Leclerc returned pointless), when asked what the most positive aspect of the campaign was, Vasseur replied: “I think it was the fact that we improved and we were able to react in the tough moments.
“To have a good team dynamic and do good results, it’s one thing, but to react when you are in the shit like we were in Spain and Austria, it’s quite important for the future of the team.
“It’s this kind of reaction that we are building up [for] the future, that trust that we can have in each other, and I think it was the most important step of the season.”
Given the diminishing returns from development as F1 enters the final year of the current technical regulations, Ferrari is again likely to contend for a first title of any kind since the 2008 constructors’ championship.
On the main topic on Ferrari’s agenda, Vasseur explained: “I don’t know, because I think it would be a mistake to think that there is one thing.
“If you want to do a good job, you have to be focused on every single pillar of the performance, on every single area.
“It is true for every single part of the car but I don’t want to start going through the list, because if I do that, I don’t want to point a finger at one group. But I think in every single area and department of the company, we just have to do a better job.
“This is not a criticism, it’s just that it has to be the mindset of the team that we have to come in each morning and try to do a better job than yesterday and try to improve what we are doing by hundredths of seconds. But this mindset is general for sport and if we don’t have it, we are dead.
“I will continue to push. I will continue to push all [with praise] that they are first to be convinced that they are all a performance contributor on every level. And on every single area, we have to do a better job than 2024.”
Oh wow, a team that can react when they are in the s***, how impressive! I mean, who wouldn’t be proud of being able to just barely scrape through instead of actually winning? It’s like saying, ‘Hey, look at us! We’re still not good enough but at least we didn’t crash and burn completely!’ Kudos to Ferrari for mastering the art of almost succeeding while everyone else is zooming past them. Really setting the bar high here!
So Ferrari thinks improving means coming second, huh? That’s adorable! It’s like a kid bringing home a participation trophy and expecting applause. Next time you finish behind your competitors by 14 points, maybe don’t throw a party. I mean sure, let’s celebrate mediocrity because who needs championships when you can have ‘team dynamics’ that barely keep you afloat? Keep dreaming big, Ferrari!
Ferrari is building trust for the future? Wow! Can’t wait to see how that works out when they’re still just playing catch-up with McLaren and Red Bull. Maybe instead of focusing on team dynamics in moments of crisis, they could focus on not being in crisis in the first place? Just a thought! But hey, let’s keep clapping for those ‘important steps’ while they trip over their own feet trying to keep up!
Ah yes, let’s talk about Ferrari’s ‘tough moments’ like they’re some sort of heroic saga. They finished fifth and sixth but celebrated their ability to react… to losing! What an achievement! If only there was an award for the most graceful losers in F1—Ferrari would be champions every year! But hey, as long as Fred Vasseur believes in their ‘mindset,’ I guess we should all just sit back and enjoy this rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows without any actual wins.
‘Building trust’ sounds great until you realize it doesn’t win races. Maybe if they spent less time hugging it out and more time tweaking those engines or something? But why do that when you can just keep talking about ‘improvement’? Must be nice living in Ferrari’s fantasy land where finishing second is a victory party waiting to happen!
‘Mindset of improvement’? Sounds more like a motivational poster than an actual racing strategy! Keep dreaming big while other teams zip ahead with actual results. If only positive affirmations could make your car go faster—Ferrari would be unstoppable by now! Instead, we get another year of excuses masked as pep talks.