Vasseur Won’t Call Red Bull “The Team To Beat”: “If Someone Brings Upgrades Next Week, The Order Can Change”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur refused to label Red Bull as the current best team in F1 despite Verstappen’s consecutive wins. In his view, four teams are often within two tenths and a single upgrade can change the order.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has refused to label Red Bull as Formula 1’s best team at the moment, despite Max Verstappen’s recent victories. When Motorsport.com asked whether Red Bull is the “team to beat”, Vasseur said he was not sure. He acknowledged that Red Bull is doing very well but said it is not “the” team to beat.
Reply to Mercedes’ “team to beat” comment
Vasseur’s comments came after Mercedes driver George Russell said Red Bull is the team to beat, citing the fact that Verstappen’s wins came at two very different circuits. Vasseur pointed out how the lead has changed hands during the season. At the start, Mercedes was flying, then Ferrari won two races, then McLaren won two, and Red Bull won two or three. In his view, that means that if someone brings upgrades next week, the order can change.
“Much of the Singapore win was decided on lap one”
Vasseur believes much of Verstappen’s Singapore victory was settled on the opening lap. Verstappen held off Leclerc into Turn 1 and kept the lead, and since overtaking is extremely difficult on the tight Marina Bay street circuit, he could control the race from there. Vasseur added that you lose time when you overtake, but even before that, when you were two or three seconds behind, passing was difficult.
Four teams within two tenths
Speaking to SpeedWeek, Vasseur said he accepts Red Bull’s performance gain but sees the situation as more complex. He said Ferrari should measure itself against McLaren and Mercedes, recalling that Mercedes was outstanding at the start of the season, followed by Ferrari, then McLaren and Red Bull catching up. He said that four teams are now often within two tenths of each other, so one team’s upgrade could change the picture.
Standings
Red Bull brought a large upgrade to Baku, and Verstappen is on a run of five podiums. The team is now only seven points behind third-placed McLaren in the constructors’ standings. Six races remain, with Mercedes on 578 points, Ferrari 444, McLaren 339 and Red Bull 332. That figure assumes the season finale goes ahead as planned in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.