Ferrari’s strategy might have cost it a double podium opportunity in the Austrian Grand Prix but it is making progress against its rivals, according to Fred Vasseur.
Charles Leclerc finished second to Max Verstappen on Sunday but Carlos Sainz was shadowing his teammate for the first stint before both cars were brought into the pits under an early Virtual Safety Car. Two slow stops resulted in Sainz losing time and track position, later picking up track limits penalties that demoted him from fourth – after a thrilling podium fight with Sergio Perez – to sixth.
“Probably yes, he was not far away from the (pace) of Charles,” Vasseur said of Sainz’s chance of a podium. “We need to have a look on the strategy if it was a good one. I think it was a good one for the pit wall. For sure they brought out the VSC 10 meters too late for us, because we were already on the white line, and (ended it) 10 meters too early because we are still into the pit lane. But we cannot predict when they remove the Safety Car or VSC. It is like it is.
“We have to be focused, everybody has to be focused on ourselves. We are doing a good job together with the team, the drivers. We are going in the right direction. I want to keep this going.