Ferrari was outperformed by McLaren at the Chinese Grand Prix, with Lando Norris securing a spot on the podium at the expense of both Ferrari drivers. Team principal Frederic Vasseur stated that Ferrari cannot attribute their performance to the ‘circuit conditions’.
Prior to the race weekend in China, there was a lot of anticipation surrounding the Shanghai International Circuit. Formula 1 returned to the circuit after a five-year hiatus, with a brand new generation of cars since the last race took place there.
Unsurprisingly, the track offered little grip, and there was only one practice session to prepare for the rest of the race weekend, which also adopted a ‘sprint format’. Additionally, teams and Pirelli were taken aback by a change to the top layer of the track surface that had not been communicated beforehand. Vasseur emphasized that Ferrari could not use this as an excuse, as the same conditions applied to all teams.
“It can’t be an excuse, it was the same for everyone,” Vasseur stated. “When we arrived in Shanghai for the first time with this generation of cars, the track surface coating or painting also posed challenges as the track conditions evolved significantly throughout the weekend.”
“However, this cannot serve as an excuse since all teams faced the same conditions. Some teams managed it better, so we need to analyze how we can improve in the future.”