Fred Vasseur claims Ferrari now has the pace to fight against Max Verstappen and Red Bull

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were right behind Max Verstappen and Lando Norris during the Emilia Romagna GP despite not challenging for the race lead.

Fred Vasseur claims Ferrari now has the pace to fight against Max Verstappen and Red Bull

Fred Vasseur [L] Max Verstappen [R] (images via IMAGO)

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen proved time and time again to be an all-time F1 grid. Verstappen’s dominance has forced many teams to trail behind Red Bull in F1’s ground-effect era, as the Dutchman set the benchmark for the grid. However, Scuderia Ferrari has made progress this season

Following the Emilia Romagna GP, Ferrari Team Principal, Fred Vasseur, claimed that the SF24 was finally closing in on the Red Bull RB20 in terms of face. Although, Vasseur mentioned that it was unclear if the team could defeat Max Verstappen.

I don’t know about beating Max, but its certain that we have a very similar pace and now we’re fighting with them.
Fred Vasseur said
YouTube video

The Frenchman considers the upgrades brought forward by them to lead the Maranello based team to fight for wins and podiums. The Scuderia team boss claimed that the Monaco GP could be an even more encouraging race for the Italian team. Currently Maranello stands at second place in the constructor’s championship, 56 points behind the reigning world champions.

FS Video
Each race is a different story in itself and Monaco will give an even better result. Different.
Fred Vasseur explained

Fred Vasseur claims ‘5 or 6’ cars could fight for victory in the coming races

Fred Vasseur claimed that the Scuderia could finally fight for wins and podiums. With the newfound upgrades on the car, the team found a pace which could with time lead the Maranello based team to their second win of the season. The Frenchman claimed the possibilities to vary from track to track owing to the variations in the set up and the characteristics of the cars.

From track to track the values ​​will be different due to issues of set-up and characteristics of the cars. Now we're going to Monte-Carlo, then we'll go to Canada, with very different tracks.
Fred Vasseur explained
Charles Leclerc and Fred Vasseur
Charles Leclerc and Fred Vasseur (via IMAGO)

Moreover, Vasseur insisted that the varying factors could lead to a situation 5-6 cars could fight for victory. The Ferrari boss reckoned that this was simply part of the show in Formula 1. This could potentially allow the Scuderia to even battle for the championship this season.

It's part of the show which is Formula 1. A situation where there are 5 or 6 cars that can win.
Fred Vasseur concluded

Certainly, Fred Vasseur remains optimistic after the Emilia Romagna GP. The Ferrari team boss would be hoping to potentially challenge for victory next weekend in Monte Carlo. However, Maranello would need to buckle up to ensure that McLaren does not surpass them in the standings.

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