Vaseeur flabbergasted by Hamilton pole: ‘Difficult to…read more
Lewis Hamilton’s impressive lap time of 1:30.849 secured him pole position for Saturday’s sprint race. However, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur remained cautious, refusing to get carried away by the positive momentum. Despite the optimism surrounding Hamilton’s performance, Vasseur kept a level head, focusing on the challenges ahead rather than celebrating the achievement.
The day began with McLaren leading the way in Free Practice 1, setting the pace by half a second. Given this strong performance, many expected either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri to start from the front for the sprint race. However, the unpredictable nature of Formula 1 performance came into play, leaving Vasseur confused about McLaren’s varying form across the sessions.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Vasseur expressed his difficulty in understanding McLaren’s inconsistency. “It’s better than last week, but it’s difficult to read and understand from one session to the other,” he said. This comment reflected his frustrations with the fluctuating performance levels of their competitors, which made it hard to predict the outcome.
Vasseur went on to explain the unpredictability of McLaren’s pace. “Sometimes McLaren had a huge gap, sometimes not so. Let’s analyse it,” he added. His remarks showed that despite the positive result for Hamilton, there was no sense of complacency at Ferrari. The team principal was careful not to jump to conclusions, instead focusing on the analysis and strategy for the remaining races.
Looking ahead to the sprint race, Vasseur acknowledged that while Hamilton’s pole position was a boost for the team, the job was far from finished. “We have a lot of work to do,” he admitted. The Ferrari boss recognized that while the result brought positive energy, he preferred to maintain a more pessimistic perspective. “For sure it’s a good feeling and gives a positive energy to the team and Lewis, but I always see the negative side,” he added, emphasizing his cautious approach to the situation.
Despite his tendency to focus on potential challenges, Vasseur noted that Hamilton’s consistent performances in both SQ1 and SQ3—qualifying sessions for the sprint race—were encouraging signs. “We can score a lot of points this weekend with the Sprint format. The fact Lewis was in front in SQ1 and SQ3 is also a proof of consistency, and this is good,” he concluded.
While Vasseur remained grounded in his approach, the results so far indicated that Ferrari was in a good position for the weekend. However, his focus was on the tasks ahead and the team’s preparation for the upcoming sprint race, underscoring the unpredictability of Formula 1 and the constant need to adapt and perform under pressure.
