The team principal of Ferrari, Fred Vasseur, has shared the reasons why neither Charles Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton entered the pits during the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) at the Australian Grand Prix, a key moment that cost them the victory to Mercedes.
Leclerc, who took the lead in the race starting from fourth, battled for the first position with George Russell during the early laps. However, the situation changed drastically when a problem with Isack Hadjar‘s car caused the VSC on lap 11, during which other competitors took the opportunity to pit.
In a second VSC intervention, following Valtteri Bottas‘ retirement on lap 16, five more vehicles entered to change tires, but the quick closing of the pit entrance prevented the Ferraris from doing so, a situation Vasseur described as “unfortunate”.
Finally, Leclerc made his usual stop on lap 25, while Hamilton did so on lap 28. These stops gave Mercedes the necessary advantage to control the race and finish in first and second positions.
According to Vasseur, the tire performance surprised both them and their competitors, who expected them to be harder. “The tires could have lasted up to 350 laps”, he noted after the race. “From there, Mercedes was able to capitalize on the advantage”.
The Ferrari director also assessed the state of the competition: “Mercedes was eight-tenths faster than us during qualifying. At that time, no one expected to make a single stop during the race”.
Despite the results, Leclerc and Hamilton finished in third and fourth positions respectively, 16 seconds behind winner Russell, but Vasseur seeks the positive side. “I do not regret the strategy or the pace today. We are focused on the next race in China.”
