Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has openly admitted that missing their one-lap potential in qualifying likely cost the team a shot at victory at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Despite leading all three practice sessions, Ferrari couldn’t deliver when it mattered most, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton only managing fourth and fifth in Q3.
“The weekend went well and the pace was there from Friday to the last lap of the race—except for the final two Q3 laps. That’s where we missed something,” Vasseur explained.
Leclerc showcased strong race pace to finish second, while Hamilton narrowly missed the podium after a late charge. Vasseur attributed the qualifying letdown to small factors—like tyre preparation or environmental changes—that made a significant difference:
“In F1, two or three tenths separate the top eight, so it doesn’t take much—a gust of wind, sliding on the out lap, minor setup issues—to move from a stellar result to the midfield.”
Vasseur believes Ferrari must focus on maximizing competitiveness not just through the car package, but also through precise setup and tyre management. He acknowledged that a strong baseline may help Ferrari hit the ground running, but if everything isn’t perfect in qualifying, “you can move from P2 to P6.”
“If you don’t put everything together, the margins are so small that you can miss out, even if your base pace looks good,” he concluded.
Ferrari now faces the challenge of translating practice pace into qualifying results if they want to return to winning ways.
