Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said that he is happy with how the Scuderia improved from 2023 to 2024 in terms of tire wear, but recent positive results don’t mean the problem can’t come back on some other tracks.
In Suzuka, Charles Leclerc managed to complete the longest stint on medium tires, allowing Ferrari to make just one pit stop and finishing P4 in the race. That showcased how well Ferrari manages the tires, something which was the Italian team’s biggest issue last season.
Not only that, Vasseur also underlined how both in Jeddah and Melbourne – and almost in Japan, too – they were able to do the fastest lap right at the end of the Grand Prix.
“I think from the beginning of the season we are much better on the tire management,” he said.
“And degradation – we were I think able to do the fastest lap in Jeddah and Melbourne on the last lap. It was almost the case today for one-tenth, I think.
“And I think we did a very good step forward on this one, we worked a lot on the weaknesses, and we improved massively on the tire management, drivers, strategy, and the team.
“And yeah, for sure that now we have some other weaknesses, and we have to improve somewhere else for sure if we want to do a better job.
“But I think this one is very well under control now. But what is true one day, it’s not true the other day, on tire management. And we don’t have to consider that this is done.
“Next week in China will have another tarmac, different weather conditions, and it will be a new challenge.”