Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has pledged that the Scuderia will arrive at the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid brimming with "all the energy" needed to rebound from what he described as a "failure" at Monza. The Italian outfit entered their home race with lofty expectations, especially after both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc posted impressive lap times in Friday's practice sessions. Yet the weekend quickly unraveled: the pair missed the front row in qualifying, and the race itself turned into a disappointment for the Tifosi.
Hamilton’s race was marred early on when, while battling side‑by‑side with Leclerc at the first chicane, he was forced onto the gravel at Turn 2. The incident dropped him from fourth to tenth place, a result that left the seven‑time world champion visibly frustrated. Leclerc’s woes were even more severe. On the third lap he suffered a high‑speed crash that not only destroyed his car but also left the Monegasque driver with temporary eye irritation.
Although Hamilton managed to climb back up to third place at one stage, the lack of outright pace prevented him from challenging the front‑running Mercedes, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, and the two McLaren entries, and he ultimately finished sixth. Vasseur addressed the media after the race, stating, "We will come to Madrid with all the energy that we need to do a good result. It's true that Monza, for us, even if I spend the week to say that it's a normal race, it's not, as you can imagine. With all the Tifosi, we were expecting to give them something else as a big thank you for the support and the enthusiasm that they have.
We all have the feeling to have failed something, but be sure that we will come back much stronger." His comments underscored the disappointment felt by the whole team and the passionate Italian fanbase. The technical side of Ferrari’s struggles was also evident. The team introduced its second and final engine upgrade of the 2024 season in Monza, yet the cars still lagged behind the Mercedes‑powered rivals on the long straights. Straight‑line speed has been Ferrari’s Achilles' heel throughout the year, a deficiency that Vasseur believes will be less pronounced on the twisty, slower‑speed layout of the new Madrid circuit.
He admitted that the team did not anticipate being able to fully offset the power‑unit deficit to Mercedes through aerodynamic or deployment strategies alone. "When you have a lack of pure power, then you start to play with deployment to try to compensate in the straight line," Vasseur explained.
"But if you deploy more somewhere, you will deploy less somewhere else. Then you are going in the wrong spiral to try to play with this when you are fighting. Honestly, it's not about deployment.
Even McLaren, they were playing a little bit Friday and Saturday morning. In the end, we are missing pure power." Ferrari’s engine situation is further complicated by the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) framework introduced earlier in the season. After the first ADUO review, the FIA determined that Ferrari’s power unit was more than four per cent slower than the benchmark set by Red Bull. This assessment granted Ferrari the right to introduce two engine upgrades during the current year and another set for the 2027 season, when the Scuderia will switch to a brand‑new power unit.
Vasseur highlighted the long‑term nature of engine development: "The process of the engine is mega long. The chassis you can make an upgrade from one day to the other very quickly and come back into the pace. On the engine, the process is mega long because the lead time of the parts is long and the cost cap is not easy – you have to produce the engine for the season. And if you want to start to do the development, you have to produce a new batch of engines.
We are not expecting to recover with ADUO 1 or ADUO 2. We are doing small steps.
If you make a small step on the engine, keep in mind that behind us, it was hundredths of a second. In terms of position, even if you make a couple of horsepower, it's a good step on the grid. Now we will have a new engine next year. For sure, the target is to catch up as soon as possible." Looking ahead, the team’s schedule for the Spanish Grand Prix weekend is packed.
Thursday, September 10, will feature a drivers' press conference at 2 pm followed by a paddock uncut session at 5 pm. Friday’s programme includes F3 and F2 practice sessions, the first F1 practice at 12:30 pm, and qualifying for the lower categories, culminating in the team bosses' press conference at 2:40 pm and the second F1 practice later in the afternoon. Saturday will see the F3 sprint, the third F1 practice, the F2 sprint, and the crucial qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Finally, Sunday’s agenda comprises the F3 feature race, the F2 feature race, and the main event – the Spanish Grand Prix itself – with post‑race analysis and reaction segments. The move to the brand‑new Madring circuit in Madrid marks a fresh challenge for all teams, but especially for Ferrari, which hopes the circuit’s emphasis on handling over raw power will allow them to showcase the improvements made to the chassis and aerodynamics. While the team acknowledges that engine performance remains a work in progress, Vasseur’s confidence that the Scuderia will emerge from Madrid “much stronger” reflects a broader commitment to incremental development and a determination to repay the fervent support of the Tifosi.
In summary, Ferrari’s Monza weekend was a stark reminder of the difficulties the team faces in matching the pace of Mercedes and Red Bull, particularly on high‑speed tracks. However, with a new engine upgrade schedule, a circuit that plays to their strengths, and a clear message from Vasseur that the team will channel its disappointment into motivation, the Scuderia aims to turn the tide in Spain and begin a resurgence that could carry them through the remainder of the season.