Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari’s team principal, has revealed that the team has changed its developmental strategy following the tough start to the season, as they look to make a comeback at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
While Ferrari were battling Red Bull for the title in 2022, the team has been far off the pace of their rivals this year, falling to P4 in the Constructors’ Standings.
Ferrari’s poor start has, in part, been caused by Charles Leclerc suffering two DNFs, while Carlos Sainz was demoted from P4 in Australia to last of the classified cars following a penalty imposed on the final lap.
These reliability issues and driver errors mean that Ferrari is facing a tough season if it wants to compete for a title, putting pressure on Vasseur during his first year at the head of the team.
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“Honestly, I [don’t] even think Red Bull can say that they have everything under control, it’s the DNA of our business,” Vasseur told reporters.
“You have to do a better job in every single race and to understand more and to extract more of the potential of the car.
“For sure, we have adjusted, a little bit, the direction of the development over the last few weeks, but it’s true for everybody on the grid.”
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Heading into Round 4, Ferrari has 26 points in the Constructors’ Standings, almost 100 behind title leaders Red Bull.
The situation is more painful for their drivers, as Sainz is in P5 in the Drivers’ Standings, behind both Red Bull drivers, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc finds himself even further down the order due to his DNFs, sitting in P10 behind Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Hamilton’s teammate George Russell, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg.