Frédéric Vasseur defends Ferrari’s strategy

The new boss of Ferrari, Frédéric Vasseur, defended the team’s strategic choices during the Monaco Grand Prix, after Carlos Sainz expressed his frustrations. The Spaniard was behind Esteban Ocon at the start of the race before the pit stop frenzy, but he damaged his front wing when an overtaking attempt resulted in contact with the Alpine.

After the French driver finally made his pit stop, Sainz was only held for one extra lap. The team chose to bring him in earlier to protect themselves from Lewis Hamilton, who had stopped earlier.

The Spanish driver did not feel that his pit stop went well for him, suggesting that more laps in clean air would have helped him come out in the lead after his stop, and he asked Ferrari to review what happened.

Frédéric Vasseur, however, sticks to the decision of the Scuderia during the race. « I think it was a good strategy because when we asked him to come into the pit, it was to «cover” Hamilton. We needed to avoid losing a position compared to him », he said. « I think it was a good decision because position is crucial on the track. It would have been preferable to extend if we weren’t in danger with Hamilton, but in this situation, I think it was the right decision. »

A strategic bet with the arrival of the rain

Ferrari also took a strategic risk by keeping Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc on track as long as possible when the rain appeared. While a large part of the field had chosen intermediate tires, the Scuderia duo was one of the last to switch from slicks.

This decision of the team was also supported by the French engineer. We can discuss the time when the rain arrived. It was a gamble on our part, but I have no regrets because we didn’t lose any positions, he added.

Leclerc and Sainz finally finished the race in 6th and 8th place respectively.