“(We are) little but no man’s land behind the Ferraris and McLarens and ahead of the midfield,” George Russell said in Imola, disappointed with Mercedes’ helpless state. Lewis Hamilton doubled down on his teammate’s analysis, with his own “no man’s land” comment. Unfortunately, this has been the ugly reality for them for over 2 years and Team Principal Toto Wolff cannot figure out why. Moreover, Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur added fuel to this fire by mocking Mercedes’ snail-like progress.
The Silver Arrows finished second in the Constructors’ championship in 2023, beating Ferrari to it in the finale at Abu Dhabi. But the Frederic Vasseur-led team has since pulled up their socks while Mercedes has lost footing. With their upgrades not working in Imola, Hamilton and Russell finished P6 and P7. As if Ferrari poaching the 7-time champion wasn’t enough, Vasseur is even taunting his close friend, Wolff, for their failures.
After the race, the Frenchman was asked for his views on Mercedes’ progress in 2024. “The Mercedes? They were 28 seconds behind Charles (Leclerc, who finished P3) at the end of the race. So yes, I think they got a little closer,” Vasseur told Motorsport Italy, mocking his rival’s lack of developments. What are friends for if not such sly, backhanded compliments?
Just 7 races into 2024 and Mercedes, with 79 points, is already 133 points behind Ferrari, with 212 points in the Constructors’ standings. The team in Scarlet Red, along with McLaren, have leapfrogged Mercedes to close in on Red Bull. This is another reason for Vasseur to make merry.
Frederic Vasseur celebrates as Max Verstappen loses his immeasurable lead
F1 pundits claimed that Adrian Newey’s exit would be the first domino in Red Bull’s downfall. The first glimpses of this prediction coming true were seen in Imola. Lando Norris was breathing down Max Verstappen‘s neck till the end, finishing the race with a 0.7-second gap between the top 2. The entire field had converged significantly, making Red Bull’s lead much less.
“It’s good news for me, good news for F1, and good news for the championship,” Frederic Vasseur told F1.com, and added, “You have three teams [within] seven seconds after [63] laps, which is less than one-tenth a lap. It was almost the same from the beginning of the weekend.”
Though McLaren seems to be better off than Ferrari, the Monaco GP up next is Charles Leclerc’s home race. Ferrari will pull out all the stops to ensure they help their star driver finally emerge victorious on the streets where he took his school bus. What are your predictions for the Monaco GP? Let us know in the comments below.