Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur saw how his drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc once again battled each other for third place. A week after their fight on the edge in China, the two fought again at Suzuka for the final podium spot. Although the fight was much shorter due to Hamilton’s lack of power. Vasseur is fine with it, as long as the two drivers bring the Ferraris back in one piece: ‘Then I’m happy’.
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Although a Mercedes and a McLaren finished on the podium ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, Frédéric Vasseur describes the Japanese GP as a successful race weekend: “Overall it was a good weekend. It was a great race from Charles, especially the last few laps.” The Monegasque passed his teammate in the closing stages with an impressive overtaking maneuver. Leclerc thus took third place on the podium. “And that while he, just like George, previously had bad luck with the timing of the safety car. Overall it was a strong race from Charles.”
NOW ONLINE: 40 pages Race Special Japanese GP: our online magazine with current events, reactions, analysis and interview!
Formula 1 enters an unexpected spring break after the race at Suzuka. Both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix have been canceled due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. “Now we have a month to come back stronger in Miami. It’s good that we’re always competing at the front of the field and picking up valuable points for the world championship. But it’s clear that we still need to improve things,” Vasseur concludes.
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‘As long as they bring the cars back in one piece’
Just like in China, Leclerc and Hamilton fought again for third place in Japan, although this time it was the Monegasque who came out on top. While McLaren tried to keep its drivers in check last year through the so-called ‘papaya rules’, Ferrari does not do that. “As long as we get the two cars back in one piece at the end of the race, I’m happy,” said Vasseur. “There is a lot of respect between the two, and they know that Ferrari comes first. They are doing a really good job on the track.”
That same McLaren seemed to be completely back in the fight at the top of the field at Suzuka after a disappointing weekend in Shanghai. Piastri even finished on the podium ahead of Leclerc. For Vasseur, it came as anything but a surprise. “It’s not because they couldn’t start in China that they are no longer in the title race. They were next to us on the grid, they were there. You can always have a DNS, but they will be there. For me, this changes nothing,” the Frenchman concludes.
NOW ONLINE: 40 pages Race Special Japanese GP: our online magazine with current events, reactions, analysis and interview!
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