Fred Vasseur, team principal of Ferrari, expressed his disappointment after the incident between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton during the Mexican Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver and the Brit were involved in a collision while battling for the first position, which caused Ferrari to lose the opportunity to win the race.
At a moment that seemed favorable for Ferrari, with both drivers on the front row, the situation turned at Turn 4. Leclerc tried to overtake Hamilton, but both drivers ended up off the track, thus losing the chance to win. Hamilton returned to the track but was unable to recover and was overtaken by Max Verstappen, while Leclerc received a five-second penalty.
Leclerc indicated that the track design did not favor competition; however, Vasseur disagreed with this opinion. ‘It is not an excuse. The layout of the track can be a factor, but it cannot serve as a justification for the situation after what we have worked on,’ he stated.
Vasseur expressed his frustration, not only for the loss of victory but also for the team of 2,000 people who work behind the project. ‘It is clear that when we are 1-2 at Turn 4, the expectations are high. This causes a lot of frustration, especially for the dedication of the team,’ he said.
Regarding the need for prior conversations between drivers, Vasseur commented that it is crucial for the drivers to respect the team and work towards a common goal, rather than acting on individual interests. ‘This respect is fundamental because they are not only working for themselves but for all the people who have invested time and effort into the project,’ he concluded.
Furthermore, Vasseur explained the difficulty of making quick decisions in real time by driver Leclerc, due to the time delay between the television images and the reality of the circuit. ‘There is a five-second delay between what is shown and what actually happens, so it is difficult to act accordingly,’ he clarified.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
