Ferrari F1: Frédéric Vasseur gets angry at critics "it's fucking bullshit"

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix finally gave the Scuderia Ferrari podium finish, a first this season for Formula 1 after five frustrating races. Charles Leclerc took a solid third place, offering a moment of relief to the tifosi. But will this result be enough to put the Scuderia back in the running for the 2025 title? Nothing is certain.

Ferrari finally on the pace

On the fast Jeddah track, which was marked by hectic qualifying and very close gaps, Ferrari finally got back to winning ways. While Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri battled it out for victory, Leclerc took advantage of a good race pace and effective strategy to get the better of George Russell. The Monegasque thus gave Ferrari its first podium of the season.

An encouraging but belated result. After five of the twenty-four rounds on the calendar, Ferrari has 78 points to McLaren's 188. The gap is already abysmal: 110 points.

A (very) optimistic scenario

Theoretically, nothing is lost yet. If Ferrari were to repeat its double success (1st and 2nd place) over the remaining 19 races, it would add a further 817 points, for a total of 895. If McLaren, meanwhile, were to settle for 3rd and 4th place (with 513 points still to come), it would finish on 701 points.

But this scenario is, by the Scuderia's own admission, utopian. McLaren has won four of the first five races, including three thanks to a particularly impressive Oscar Piastri. Ferrari, on the other hand, is still struggling to exploit the full potential of its single-seater.

Vasseur calms things down

After the race, Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur spoke to Sky Sports UK to respond to certain press headlines, which he described as "a load of garbage". In particular, the situation of Lewis Hamilton, who is struggling to keep up with Leclerc.

"I'll be at 2000 % behind him. I'll be supporting him and we'll start tomorrow morning trying to find solutions and reasons and working on it early in the morning," said Vasseur. "But honestly, I'm not too worried."

The Scuderia boss pointed to a problem of balance on Hamilton's car, in particular tire management.

"We are, collectively, Lewis and us, struggling with the balance of his car. [...] But I think the car's potential is there and we'll try to solve it."

While refusing to be alarmist, Vasseur acknowledges that the team is not yet where it should be. However, he calls for patience and continuity in our work.

"It's not dramatic. We've done five races so far. I know you want to make headlines tomorrow saying 'Fred said this'. But that's a lot of bullshit. [...] At the end of the day, we're competing. There are highs and lows. When we have highs, we're not world champions. When we have highs, we're not world champions, and when we have lows, we're not anywhere. It's just a competition..."

A necessary frustration?

Hamilton, sixth in Jeddah, seemed downcast. But for Vasseur, this frustration is healthy.

"Honestly, I see it as a positive that Lewis is down, because if he was happy with this situation, it wouldn't be normal. He's a driver, he's a competitor."

It remains to be seen whether this fighting spirit will be enough to create a momentum capable of turning things around.