Fred Vasseur (Ferrari): A surprising demand for Hamilton and Leclerc

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are giving the Tifosi hope of a Monza victory. In the first practice session, the two red cars were out in front; in the second, Leclerc was narrowly beaten by George Russell in the Mercedes – a nuisance, from the Tifosi’s point of view.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur sums up the action from Friday at Monza as follows: “The differences between the results of the first and second practice sessions can be explained by varying fuel loads and different engine set-ups.”

“Even for us, it is often very difficult to gauge just how fast our rivals really are. That is why we decided years ago that it is more productive not to waste energy speculating about our rivals, but to focus entirely on our own performance.”

“As far as race pace is concerned, there are different approaches not only in terms of tyre management but also in the way the drivers utilise their engines’ power. I can see plenty of opportunities for overtaking.”

“If we don’t snatch pole, then I’ll be happy if we can overtake.” Vasseur starts to laugh. “If we’re not on pole, then I expect an extremely boring race up front from Hamilton and Leclerc!”

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“When it comes to tyre wear, the situation here is completely different to what we saw recently at Zandvoort. Wear won’t be a major issue.”

Pirelli’s head of racing, Dario Marrafuschi, commented: “Tyre wear isn’t an issue on the new Monza surface, as we learnt in the first two practice sessions. There was some slight graining on the left-front tyre – that’s when tiny rubber particles form on the tyre surface. But it’s easy for the drivers here to get to grips with that and get past that phase of the tyre’s life.”

How is the improved Ferrari engine performing? Fred Vasseur again: “A step forward, no question. But if a car is fast on the straights here, it’s not just down to the engine, but also the car’s aerodynamics and weight. We’re still a considerable way behind Mercedes.”

Mercedes has announced that Antonelli (who has to drop back anyway due to his new engine) will help the other driver, Russell, by drafting. That’s not to be expected from Ferrari, as Vasseur emphasises: “You can afford to do that if the other driver is at the back anyway, but we want to make sure we’re right up there with both cars.”