Ferrari struggled with overheating brakes for a large part of the Singapore Grand Prix and has lost land to Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship.
A year ago, Ferrari was beaten in the title of constructors by McLaren during the last race of the season, but this year McLaren closed the championship in Singapore while Ferrari is third. The gorge to Mercedes grew to 25 points after George Russell won and Kimi Antonelli became fifth, where Lewis Hamilton hung home due to braking problems that had previously also affected Charles Leclerc.
“We were overheated, not from round one, but from round two or three,” said Vasseur. “We had to put lift and coast in the race. Even for them, at the end, it is not easy to drive because you have to adjust your braking point every round.
“It is clear that when we pushed a few laps with Lewis, I think the pace was good. But you can’t do 95% of the race on the rear and do management.
“We all know that in Singapore, when you are in the middle of the peloton, it is crucial for the brakes. The fact that we did not do FP2 did not help at the end, but at the moment it was not expected at the moment.
“In terms of safety, yes [it was fine]Because we have adjusted the pace. It is not as if Lewis pushed the last round when hell pushed – he was 30 seconds slower. In terms of safety, it was on the safe side for the target. The goal must be safe, but the target is not 30 seconds slower. “
Vasseur says there was a short window where the Ferrari tempo looked comparable to the cars in the front, but that there was little opportunity to judge the potential of the car without encountering the braking problems.
“I think we have done a few laps with them, but then you don’t know,” he said. “Very early in the race we asked Charles to do Lift and Coast. It is not only a matter of a lift and coast when you lose a little at the end of the right. It is also to find the right brake point.
“All race we were ‘a little more’, ‘a little less’, ‘a little more’, ‘a little less’, ‘a little more on the back’, ‘a little more on the front’, ‘you have to change the brake balance’ … ultimately you will probably lose more about the reference for you when you drive the car than on pure potential. ”
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