Ferrari and Mercedes were locked into a tense battle for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship last season with the Brackley-based outfit eventually winning out by a handful of points at the final race of the season. However, since then, the two teams have gone in very different directions.
After seven races in 2024, Ferrari are only 56 points behind reigning champions Red Bull and are closing in on the fight for victories with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Mercedes, meanwhile, have just 79 points to their name with their closest battle being a fight for P4 with Aston Martin.
Speaking to Motorsport Italy about Ferrari’s former rivals, Vasseur said: “The Mercedes? They were 28 seconds behind Charles at the end of the race, so yes, I think they got a little closer.”
These comments will come as a kick to the teeth of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who is growing ever-frustrated with his team’s inability to understand the underlying issues with their design concept. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished in P6 and P7 respectively on Sunday, but the Silver Arrows were some way off the top three squads on the day.
Despite another underwhelming weekend, Wolff was in high spirits when asked about his team’s progression. “What we are seeing now on the car is that those incremental gains that we’re bringing, rather than a miracle update, are getting the car a better balance window and making the car have more performance,” he explained.
“It is a thing where you gain a tenth or a tenth-and-a-half but at the same time, the other teams are making progress. We are on a trajectory where we’re making the car better, and we can see that. It’s never like a share price going up, we’re doing it so as long as the direction is correct, I feel more confident now.”
While Wolff does believe that Mercedes are on the right track, there are unlikely to be any unexpected gains ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday. With the top three teams seemingly out of reach, Hamilton and Russell are set to fight for P7 and P8 around the streets of the principality.
