Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Recommended for you

How Aprilia's world championship juggernaut hit its straps

Feature
MotoGP
How Aprilia's world championship juggernaut hit its straps

Why the Hungarian GP was what every F1 race in 2026 should have been

Feature
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Why the Hungarian GP was what every F1 race in 2026 should have been

McLaren leaves Mercedes impressed after dominant Hungary win

Formula 1
Hungaroring Pirelli test
McLaren leaves Mercedes impressed after dominant Hungary win

Ogier’s co-driver ready to “honour” seat after last minute WRC call up

WRC
Rally Finland
Ogier’s co-driver ready to “honour” seat after last minute WRC call up

Stand out moments from the Malaysian GP

Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Stand out moments from the Malaysian GP

No more battery info on F1 TV graphics? ‘Fans don’t care about that’, F1 boss responds

Formula 1
Hungarian GP
No more battery info on F1 TV graphics? ‘Fans don’t care about that’, F1 boss responds

Autosport magazine: McLaren celebration and British GP special

General
Autosport magazine: McLaren celebration and British GP special

MotoGP plans Austin showcase during F1 US GP

MotoGP
MotoGP plans Austin showcase during F1 US GP
Formula 1

Vasseur: Ferrari needs to make more of its opportunities in F1 2024

Ferrari Formula 1 chief Fred Vasseur has urged his team to make more of its opportunities in 2024 after having "made a list" of all the times it let valuable points slip.

Filip Cleeren
Filip Cleeren
Edited:
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal and General Manager, Scuderia Ferrari
Ferrari was beaten by Mercedes to second in the 2023 constructors' championship in Abu Dhabi by three points after both teams went through a season full of ups and downs with peaky cars.
Just like its counterpart from Brackley, Ferrari started off on the wrong foot in Bahrain with a car that it realised wasn't going to be a match for Red Bull.
But apart from its lack of race pace, the Scuderia also lost countless points through various issues, mistakes and reliability concerns throughout the season.
Things started off poorly for Charles Leclerc, who had to take an engine penalty in Saudi Arabia after retiring from the opening race in Bahrain.
Leclerc also retired in Australia and the Netherlands, was disqualified for excessive plank wear in Austin and failed to make the start in Brazil after crashing out with a hydraulic issue on the formation lap.
Sainz also failed to start a race, due to a fuel system issue in Qatar, and retired following contact with McLaren's Oscar Piastri in Belgium.
Vasseur called on his team to stop giving so many points away to rivals in 2024, and said he had made a list in his head of all the points dropped through unforced errors.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Ferrari

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

"We started on the wrong foot in Bahrain when we had to stop, we were P3 and [got] the penalty for the second race. It meant for Charles it was almost 25 points of penalty," he said.
“Plus the points that we were giving to the others with the two Mercedes that were behind us.
“But again, it is not only this one – you can do the list. Trust me, I have done the list a couple of times and have it in my head the classification without the issues and overall, I think that you have ups and downs during the season.
“For sure, we gave up more points than our competitors and that means it is another topic that we need to work on for next year, to be more opportunistic and more efficient.”
Read Also:
Vasseur preferred not to do the maths in public and said the phrase "what if" was "completely forbidden" at Ferrari's Maranello factory.
Rather than dwelling on what could have been, instead work will go into avoiding repeat mistakes as the Frenchman continues his gradual overhaul if the team's departments and the way they communicate.
“I will keep this [lost points tally] in my mind because I hate to race with ‘if’, because everybody can race with ‘if’ and do a better job," he added.
"It means that this is completely forbidden at the factory to work with ‘if’ but it is important. It is not to find an excuse at all because it is our fault.
"It is where we have to improve. It is clearly a huge potential in terms of points.”

Share Or Save This Story

Previous article What are track limits in F1 and how do they work?
Next article What’s behind the AlphaTauri floor that has upset F1 rivals

Top Comments
More from
Filip Cleeren

McLaren leaves Mercedes impressed after dominant Hungary win

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungaroring Pirelli test
McLaren leaves Mercedes impressed after dominant Hungary win

The shocking aspect to Antonelli's rapid F1 title-contending transformation

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
The shocking aspect to Antonelli's rapid F1 title-contending transformation

Is McLaren now a legitimate threat to Mercedes and Ferrari in F1 2026?

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Is McLaren now a legitimate threat to Mercedes and Ferrari in F1 2026?
More from
Ferrari

How F1 2026 has been a season of two halves for Ferrari so far

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
How F1 2026 has been a season of two halves for Ferrari so far

Ferrari and Peugeot start testing updated hypercars for WEC 2027

WEC
WEC
Ferrari and Peugeot start testing updated hypercars for WEC 2027

Why Hungarian GP pole position was an ‘overachievement" for Norris – and Ferrari still has a better car

Formula 1
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Why Hungarian GP pole position was an ‘overachievement" for Norris – and Ferrari still has a better car

Latest news

How Aprilia's world championship juggernaut hit its straps

Feature
MotoGP
How Aprilia's world championship juggernaut hit its straps

Why the Hungarian GP was what every F1 race in 2026 should have been

Feature
Formula 1
Hungarian GP
Why the Hungarian GP was what every F1 race in 2026 should have been

McLaren leaves Mercedes impressed after dominant Hungary win

Formula 1
Hungaroring Pirelli test
McLaren leaves Mercedes impressed after dominant Hungary win

Ogier’s co-driver ready to “honour” seat after last minute WRC call up

WRC
Rally Finland
Ogier’s co-driver ready to “honour” seat after last minute WRC call up