F1 News: Ferrari Chief Responds to Vegas Struggles - 'He Blew Up Everything'

Saajan Jogia | Nov 25, 2024

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas driver George Russell (63) eads Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc (16) during the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur explained that tire graining on both Ferrari SF-24s was the primary issue that hindered Charles Leclerc's ability to pursue George Russell for an extended period, ultimately leading to severe degradation of his tires during the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Despite the challenges, Carlos Sainz crossed the finish line third, followed by Leclerc in fourth.

Mercedes' W15 F1 car displayed an unmatched pace after topping the practice and qualifying sessions during the glitzy street race weekend, proving that the car is at its best in cold conditions. While Mercedes admitted that it wasn't able to deep dive into the reason for the W15's dominant performance, the car also fared well with its tires.

Russell was able to pull away with a 10-second lead over the Ferraris. and Lewis Hamilton, who started the race in tenth, overtook the pack and eventually secured the second spot. Vasseur highlighted that the SF-24 experienced significant tire graining in the initial stint, especially for Leclerc who lost a significant amount of rubber in trying to catch up with Russell. When Vasseur was asked whether graining was a major issue for Ferrari, he said:

“Not on the medium, but it’s really depending on the pace that you want to have.

“I think Charles was behind Russell and when he tried one lap to push and to attack Russell, he blew up everything.

“It was true also for [Lewis] Hamilton at the end. 

“It’s really on the edge always and [the drivers] have to trust their feeling also and it’s not an easy one but it is like it is.

“It’s true that at the end of the first stint, we lost something like 10 seconds and then you can’t pit also because then you are in the shadow of the mid-pack and if you pit at this stage, you have to overtake everybody.

“You have to wait for the others, and it’s what happened with Charles, you have to wait for the others to pit, in order to pit yourself and it’s a tricky situation but it’s like it is.”

Although Leclerc and Sainz managed their tires better than most of their rivals throughout the race, the initial tire degradation was most severe for the Monegasque driver. Vasseur explained that this was due to a combination of factors. He said:

“I’m not sure that it’s the Ferrari or the drivers, it’s a combination of conditions.

“If you push the setup of the car, the compound and sometimes you are putting yourself if you have a look at the second and third stint with the same compound for everybody with the two sets of hard you have also difference of performance, it means that it’s not just related to the car it’s sometimes related to the level of fuel, or how you open the stint.

“Because if you have a look at Charles for example it’s when he tried to overtake Russell that we lost the tyres and on the second and third stint we have drivers who push a little bit more the first two or three laps and they open the graining much more than the stint after when they are a bit conservative. 

“The issue is that when you are on the track you are racing with a competitor and you have a car in front of you and you want to push and it’s very difficult to find the right approach.”