“28 seconds behind Charles Leclerc,” Fred Vasseur takes a brutal dig at Mercedes after outclassing rivals in the Emilia-Romagna GP

Mercedes has been struggling since the start of the 2024 F1 season.

“28 seconds behind Charles Leclerc,” Fred Vasseur takes a brutal dig at Mercedes after outclassing rivals in the Emilia-Romagna GP

Fred Vasseur, Toto Wolff, and Charles Leclerc (Via: Imago)

Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur flung out a sarcastic jibe when asked during the Imola post-race interview about his thoughts on the progression of Mercedes. The Marannelo-based outfit finished P3 and P5 and looked promising throughout the weekend as Mercedes struggled with pace and balance.

Ferrari currently stands second in the constructors championship standings, just 56 points behind Red Bull. Unlike last season, the Italian outfit has been strong in its strategies and performances with one win and seven podiums already.

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They were 28 seconds behind Charles at the end of the race. So yes, I think they got a little closer.
Fred Vasseur said on Mercedes’ progression

Mercedes has struggled with pace this season as the outfit finished 28 seconds behind Charles Leclerc at the Emilia Romagna GP. The German outfit has been outperformed by the likes of McLaren, Red Bull, and Ferrari, who have emerged as the title contenders for the 2024 constructors’ championship.

Fred Vasseur calls for speeding up of upgrades in Ferrari’s SF-24

While Ferrari is performing well, Fred Vasseur called for a need to speed up their upgrades as the Italian outfit missed out on a win on their home soil in Imola. McLaren and Red Bull proved faster around the Enzo E Dino Ferrari racing circuit.

Fredric Vasseur
Fredric Vasseur (via IMAGO)
What is true is that we are at the point now where we will have to speed up the development. I think that if we do 1-2 in qualifying, we do 1-2 in the race.
Fred Vasseur concluded in his post race interview

Ferrari put up a dominant performance in the practice sessions leading up to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. However, they were only able to manage a fourth and fifth-place starting position for the race (Oscar Piastri‘s 3-place grid penalty pushed Leclerc up to third).

Vasseur was left disappointed after qualifying results, as only five-tenths of a second separated the top five positions. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen managed to clutch up in the closing moments of Q3 to take the pole position but had the advantage of the tow from Nico Hulkenberg, which prevented an all-McLaren front row.

Ferrari, going ahead, faces a series of tough races, with the Monaco Grand Prix next week, in which they will try to perform better in qualifying and the main race. They are set to face tough competition from Red Bull and McLaren as an exciting three-way title battle heats up in F1.

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