Ferrari’s impressive streak of podium finishes at the beginning of the 2024 Formula 1 season met its end in China. Team principal Frederic Vasseur has shed light on the reasons behind Ferrari’s halt in podium-scoring performances in the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Before the race in China, the Italian outfit had managed to secure podium positions at every round, even clinching a remarkable 1-2 finish in Australia.
However, the momentum was disrupted in Shanghai, where Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fourth and fifth respectively. McLaren’s Lando Norris joined the Red Bull duo on the podium, marking a shift in fortunes for Ferrari.
The race in China didn’t start on a high note for Ferrari, with both drivers losing positions to George Russell in the opening corners. However, Vasseur clarified to the media that their concerns ran deeper than just a subpar opening lap.
“It’s not a good help to lose a position at the start, but in the end, we were behind [Sergio] Perez and Norris at the stop and we finished behind them at the end of the race,” he stated.
“I think if we lose something, it’s more in the last stint. Carlos was a bit unlucky with the timing of the pitstop because he pitted three or four laps before the VSC and then the safety car.
“He was a bit scared to do a very long stint with the last set of Hards, he was a bit conservative at the beginning but he did very well to manage the long stint.”
Leclerc and Sainz faced challenges during the qualifying session on Saturday, which compounded their difficulties on race day, as they lined up in sixth and seventh positions.
“If we missed something, it’s because we start from too far away on the grid, for sure,” Vasseur emphasized.
“This is more [Saturday] and [Sunday] we were a bit less performant on the Hard than on the Medium. The Medium was under control and I think that we were in a good position of the other at the end of the stint on the Medium. But we lost a little bit of ground with the Hard.”
