Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur looks back on the Chinese GP with mixed feelings. On one hand, he enjoyed the fierce battle between drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc; on the other hand, he regrets that both could not match the speed of Mercedes. It is the second weekend in a row that Ferrari has taken the fight to the German team in the opening laps, only to finish in P3 and P4 in the closing stages.
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Many fans found the fight between Hamilton and Leclerc in China very entertaining. Vasseur was also pleased that both his drivers were given the space for a fair battle. “I think it was the right decision to let them fight, and it resulted in a great race,” he explained afterwards. “It was good for the team, for Formula 1, and for the fans. Nevertheless, I was watching with sweaty palms,” he laughed. “No, it wasn’t too intense,” he responded when asked. “I think everything was under control. Of course, you are always a little worried because something can always happen, but it is also very difficult to freeze positions on the track. They were very professional and I enjoyed it.”
Despite the strong performance of his drivers, Vasseur acknowledged that Ferrari could not match the pace of Mercedes. The German formation took a convincing one-two in Shanghai and had the upper hand throughout the weekend. “Overall, they were faster than us. Depending on the session, the difference was always about three, four, or five tenths of a second. If we overtake and are within one second of them, we might be able to resist by pushing the tires a bit harder than they do. But when they have a clear track and drive in clean air, they are a few tenths faster. We saw that again today.”
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‘McLaren and Red Bull are not standing still either’
“Mercedes has a clear advantage on the straights and we need to work on that,” he added. “We know exactly what we need to do. We must keep pushing in every area of development; there is no magic wand that allows you to optimize the car in one go. So we are focused on all the details: tire management, aerodynamics, chassis, suspension, everything. We must maintain this mentality if we want to keep improving. So far we have stayed ahead of McLaren and Red Bull, but they are not standing still either.”
The main race in China gave Lewis Hamilton his first podium for Ferrari. After a difficult debut season in 2025, the seven-time world champion seems to be in top form again. According to Vasseur, this is partly because the Briton is now fully integrated within the team. “I think it helps that he is now closer to us, that he knows everyone within the team, and that he has been involved in the project from day one,” he explained. “He was already working on development in the simulator six months ago, so the situation is very different from a year ago. By that, I don’t mean to say this is Lewis’s car or Charles’s car; it is the team’s car. What I can say is that Lewis has improved his relationship with every team member, and I think that is going in the right direction for him.”
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Read everything about the Chinese GP here
