Vasseur identifies where it went wrong for Leclerc in Baku

Team Principal Fred Vasseur has reflected on Ferrari’s rollercoaster race in Azerbaijan after Charles Leclerc lost out on victory whilst Carlos Sainz was involved in a chaotic crash with rival Sergio Perez.

The Italian team’s form has turned around remarkably since their run of poor results in early summer, with Leclerc claiming four consecutive podiums from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards, including his fairytale victory in Monza.

They have significantly closed the gap to rival frontrunners McLaren and Red Bull, frequently finding themselves in the mix for pole position and major points hauls, but Baku produced a bittersweet result.

The Monegasque dropped from leader to P2 after a bold overtake from Oscar Piastri which was several laps in the making. Initially, Leclerc had built up a six-second lead in clean air, but a slow in-lap and out-lap when he pitted saw his lead shrink, before the McLaren man took his chance and went on to win.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 15: Race winner Oscar Piastri of McLaren, Second placed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and Third placed George Russell of Mercedes celebrate on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan. (Photo by James Sutton/Getty Images) — Leclerc was forced to settle for second place after multiple attempts to reclaim the lead

Vasseur explained after the Grand Prix that “the pace was there” for victory, but Leclerc’s struggles with his tyres and pitting one lap after the Australian wrote off the possibility of a second race win in a row.

“I think we probably missed out the last lap before the pit stop, the first lap after the pit stop and we missed the race at this stage,” he said. “Now if we redid the race, do we have to pit one lap before?

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“It is what it is, we have to learn from this and do a better job next time. The lack of long stint before the weekend probably didn’t help Charles at this stage.

“Now it’s behind us, it’s a P2. P2 overall is a good result for Charles for the championship and for sure we have a bit of frustration because we had the space and pace to win this weekend.”

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 15: Carlos Sainz of Ferrari and Spain during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on September 15, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Peter Fox - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) — Sainz and Perez were battling for the final podium position

The Team Principal added that “the pit stop was ok” but Leclerc lost around one second on the in and out laps sandwiching the stop, sealing his P2 finish relatively early on despite repeated attempts to pass Piastri.

Whilst he was left contemplating what could have been, his team mate Sainz suffered a significantly worse result after a collision with the Red Bull of Perez ended his race at the last minute.

Asked how Sainz was, Vasseur said that he was “a bit stiff but ok”, with the stewards ruling that neither driver was predominantly at fault for the crash.

The Ferrari boss added that he had not reviewed the incident, but said: “It started on the straight line between Turn 2 and 3 in the slipstream of Charles. They were very, very close together.

“I have a feeling they were both chasing the slipstream and they were almost touching before.”