Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has stated that his squad
must manage its expectations ahead of the 2024 Formula 1 season and
not repeat having them “too high”. Ahead of this past F1 campaign
Ferrari was hopeful of mounting a championship fight on Red Bull
after returning to the top step of the podium the year before.
However, Red Bull dominated the campaign by winning 21 out of the
22 races staged. Ferrari was the only other team to win a race as
Carlos Sainz prevailed in Singapore, but the Italian outfit dropped
to third place in the Constructors’ Championship behind Mercedes as
it also encountered various issues during the season. Speaking to
media including RacingNews365.com , Vasseur has admitted that
Ferrari’s expectations were too high ahead of the year. “For sure,
I think the level of expectation was a bit too high at the
beginning of the season,” Vasseur said. “We understood quickly the
situation after a couple of laps in Bahrain and even a couple of
laps into the simulator before Bahrain. “But what I would keep in
mind this season is the reaction of the team. We had a tough moment
but remember after Jeddah, Miami, Spain or Zandvoort, Zandvoort is
not so far away and we were almost lapped. “I think that we,
compared to Zandvoort, collectively made a huge step forward and
this is good for the future. It’s on this progression that we can
build for next year. Vasseur has called on Ferrari to modify their
expectations ahead of next year to avoid the prospect of looking
foolish. “I don’t know if it will be better next year, nobody
knows,” he said. “But you know what you’re doing in your business
and it’s always a matter of comparison. “If you can make up one
second and the others are doing 1.5s then you look stupid. But if
they do five-tenths then you look like a hero. “I don’t want to be
too optimistic because it was probably one of the issues we had
last season. “We just have to be focused on what we are doing and
not think about the outcome of the championship before it is won.”
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