P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged issues within the SF-26, claiming the team must ‘work on it’ to catch up to the Mercedes duo
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur has acknowledged that the SF-26 is significantly lagging behind Mercedes and emphasized the need for the team to improve in order to catch up with the fast Mercedes cars.
Vasseur highlighted the areas where Ferrari has been lacking pace at the start of the Formula 1 season and mentioned the importance of the upcoming filming day at Monza, where upgrades to the car are expected to be tested.
Despite achieving podium finishes in every race this season, the pace gap between Ferrari and Mercedes is widening, especially in terms of straight-line speed.
Both Vasseur and Lewis Hamilton pointed out the superior straight-line performance of the Mercedes cars, attributing it to better energy deployment and hybrid power unit efficiency.
The new overtake mode introduced in F1 has also affected races this season, with Vasseur mentioning that once drivers are out of the overtake mode, it becomes challenging to overtake and leads to ‘train’ situations on track.
Ferrari’s upcoming running at Monza is crucial for addressing the SF-26’s weaknesses, as the team looks to gather essential data and potentially qualify for the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities scheme to improve their performance.
