Team Principal Fred Vasseur has emphasised the importance of Ferrari staying positive and looking ahead after they experienced a mixed Monaco Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton making the podium whilst Charles Leclerc crashed out of his home event.
Ferrari were tagged by some as the favourites heading into the weekend due to their skill in low-speed corners, and although they tried to manage expectations, they topped the times in FP1 and FP2 before dropping marginally behind Kimi Antonelli in final practice.
They then settled for locking out the second row behind polesitter Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who suffered a detrimental issue at lights out and was forced to retire on the opening lap, allowing the Ferrari pair to gain a position instantly.
Hamilton went on to maintain P2 throughout the race despite receiving a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, which he served whilst pitting during a Safety Car period. As Ferrari opted to double stack their cars, he held onto the advantage and took second place behind Antonelli.
Reflecting on Hamilton’s weekend, Vasseur said: “We have to stay positive because, overall, this has been another strong weekend for us. Lewis secured his second consecutive podium and I think he achieved the maximum that was available with our package today.
“Over the last few races we have seen him growing in confidence and feeling more comfortable in the car, which is encouraging and reflects the progress we are making as a team.”
Hamilton admitted that it wasn’t the easiest drive to the podium, but his struggles were overshadowed by Leclerc, who faced continued problems with his brakes and crashed in Q3 and the Grand Prix.
Once Lance Stroll’s stranded Aston Martin was recovered late on, it was down to Antonelli to control the restart. He confidently held the lead ahead of Hamilton, but just as Leclerc got up to speed, he slid nose-first into the barrier at the final corner in a mirror image of the incident that had just ended Stroll’s race.
“For Charles, it was obviously a very frustrating outcome,” Vasseur – who returned for the Grand Prix after missing Qualifying for medical reasons – summarised. “We experienced brake issues throughout the weekend and something was clearly not working as it should.
“We will analyse the situation carefully, understand exactly what happened and make sure we address it before Barcelona. Charles was in a strong position and it’s disappointing to lose those points, especially in his home race.”
Leclerc immediately ranted over the radio that he wouldn’t “take the blame” for his race-ending crash and later explained that it was “impossible” to brake, making it an unwanted end to the weekend in which his contract extension with Ferrari was announced.
Nevertheless, he confirmed that the Scuderia have a solution for the problem and the Team Principal was confident that they can deliver a stronger collective result at the upcoming Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
He said: “We need to keep our focus on ourselves, continue working hard and maximise every opportunity. The mood within the team is positive, the direction is the right one and we have another opportunity in just a few days’ time to keep moving forward.”
