“Like on a Balloon”: Ferrari Boss Reveals Qatar Setup Woes
Doha, Qatar – Ferrari endured a challenging Qatar Grand Prix weekend, finishing well behind rivals Red Bull and McLaren, and team principal Fred Vasseur has pinpointed a bizarre issue with tire pressures and setup as the core problem.Vasseur described the feeling of driving the SF-24 as “like riding on a balloon,” hindering their ability to compete effectively.
The struggles came despite progress of the SF-24 being halted in April. While acknowledging the development freeze, Vasseur stressed the issue wasn’t solely down to a lack of upgrades. “Honestly not,” he saeid when asked if he expected such a performance drop. “But at the end of the day we can’t mix everything up, because in Austin we were still on the podium. That means it’s not just down to development. The others haven’t developed any further between Austin and today either.”
Vasseur believes the team’s setup was fundamentally off, starting with the first practice session. ”The most critically important part of the situation this weekend is related to the vote from the first round onwards. We found ourselves in a tough situation.” A power steering issue further complex matters, and the sprint format – with only one free practice session – left little room for recovery.
The tight competition in Formula 1 was also highlighted by vasseur, emphasizing the severe consequences of even minor errors. “If you start miles away, you’re dead,” he stated. He pointed to qualifying data, noting that only 0.241 seconds separated fifth and 16th place in Q1, demonstrating how easily positions can be lost. “That means you lose a lot of positions if you miss the working window. And on a track like this,where there is zero tire degradation,overtaking is not easy because of the layout. If you are then required to make two more stops,you can forget about catching up.”
Ferrari has not won a Formula 1 race since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, and the Qatar Grand Prix results raise questions about the team’s ability to challenge for victories in the remaining races of the 2024 season.
