Fred Vasseur/Ferrari: “Charles Leclerc has lost at least one place”

Mixed feelings at Ferrari following the final practice session for the traditional Belgian Grand Prix: The Italians never looked as though they could pose a serious threat to championship leader Kimi Antonelli, and ultimately, Charles Leclerc’s fourth place on the grid and Lewis Hamilton’s fifth are only down to Lando Norris’s grid penalty.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur after qualifying at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps: “It’s hard to say whether we could have got much more out of the final practice session, but you also have to bear in mind that the gaps are minimal.”

“Norris was only just ahead of Russell – by a few thousandths. Charles definitely eased off the throttle a little in the final corner because there was a yellow flag, which cost him at least one position.”

“We need to focus on pure performance. Today we made up ground compared to the rest of the weekend. Yes, there are mixed feelings because we already knew this track would be more than difficult for us. But overall, I think the pace was decent.”

“Considering that Verstappen had a good slipstream and Charles was shown the yellow flag, that wasn’t a bad result for us.”

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With his third-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest of the 36 Formula 1 world champions to date. The 20-year-old Italian is on a record-breaking run. The Tifosi are dreaming of Antonelli in a Ferrari.

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What are Vasseur’s expectations for the Belgian Grand Prix? “It’ll be a long race; we can be in the mix because we’re usually better in race trim than in qualifying. We took a good step forward after the first practice sessions and found a good rhythm for qualifying – that was important.”

“We could already see on Friday that there are several options for energy management. We’re going to see a great battle between the top teams. It’ll be tough for everyone.”