Tag: Ferrari

Vasseur praises Sainz approach to final Ferrari season

Carlos Sainz was “amazing all season” in the way he approached his final year with Ferrari, according to team principal Fred Vasseur. Ferrari signed Lewis Hamilton to drive for the team from 2025 onwards, with the announcement of the move coming …

Carlos Sainz was “amazing all season” in the way he approached his final year with Ferrari, according to team principal Fred Vasseur.

Ferrari signed Lewis Hamilton to drive for the team from 2025 onwards, with the announcement of the move coming ahead of the 2024 season. That meant Sainz knew he was being replaced but still had a full year to race for Ferrari, and Vasseur is full of praise for the way the Spaniard handled the situation to keep pushing the team forward.

“You know in our business that you are always trying to think about the next step and today we have at the factory guys that were focused [in Abu Dhabi] on the strategy, you have guys working on 2025, we have also some guys working on 2026. It’s a [never ending] situation — it’s not that you are finishing something one day and starting the other day.

“I asked everybody, at least on track, to be focused on 2024 until the end. I asked the same of Carlos at the beginning of the season and I think we did very well and he did very well. He was amazing all season, even when he was discussing [his future] with other teams. He stayed very professional, very dedicated and he did a brilliant job.”

Vasseur says he has quickly turned his attention to the 2025 season once he was over the disappointment of missing out on the constructors’ championship at the final race in Abu Dhabi last weekend.

“It’s true that I will try to put 2024 somewhere [behind me] and to think about next year because I think we have a good opportunity — we are improving collectively and the mood is good. I think the feeling inside the team is that … we all have the feeling that we can do a better job — including me — and this is crucial if you want to improve.”

Sainz was released by Ferrari to take part in post-season testing for his new team Williams at the Yas Marina Circuit earlier this week, but the Scuderia has to wait a little while longer to run Hamilton for the first time as he is taking part in a number of farewell events for Mercedes and its sponsors.

Ferrari confirms Cadillac F1 supply deal from 2026

Ferrari has confirmed it has reached an agreement to supply the future Cadillac Formula 1 team with power units and gearboxes from 2026. The General Motors-backed entry that was formerly known as Andretti Cadillac is preparing to be on the grid in …

Ferrari has confirmed it has reached an agreement to supply the future Cadillac Formula 1 team with power units and gearboxes from 2026.

The General Motors-backed entry that was formerly known as Andretti Cadillac is preparing to be on the grid in just over a year’s time to match up with the start of new aerodynamic regulations. That entry point comes at least two years before GM believes it will have its own power unit ready, meaning it needs a supply deal in the meantime. Ferrari says an agreement is now in place.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

“Ferrari N.V. today announces a multi-year agreement starting from 2026 with Andretti Formula Racing LLC, regarding the supply of power unit and gearbox to the racing team led by TWG Global and General Motors, subject to Andretti Formula Racing LLC receiving written confirmation from the FIA – F1 that its entry to the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Championship has been accepted and approved,” a Ferrari statement read.

The agreement means Cadillac will not need a mandatory supply deal as defined under the F1 sporting regulations, and is another milestone reached before it can receive its official entry from the FIA.

As the Ferrari statement highlights, confirmation of the entry has yet to be provided from the governing body, despite Formula 1’s recent announcement that it is working to add GM as the 11th team in 2026. RACER understands the operating company of Andretti Formula Racing LLC will change as part of the transition to GM branding the team as Cadillac.

“It’s great to see the commitment of another American team, backed by one of the most highly respected marques in the motor industry, at a time when Formula 1 is increasing in popularity in the United States,” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said.

“We are delighted therefore that we will be supplying the team with our power unit and gearbox as the basis of this technical collaboration. It means we will continue to have two ‘customer teams’ in the championship with all the benefits this brings in terms of technical development within Ferrari.”

GM also confirmed its team principal during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, with former Manor sporting director and recent advisor Graeme Lowdon chosen to lead the team.

“We are thrilled to partner with Ferrari as the power unit and gearbox supplier for our Cadillac team, bringing together two remarkable legacies,” Lowdon said. “Choosing the right power unit partner is crucial, and we trust in Ferrari’s passion, excellence and the exceptional capabilities of their people.”

RACER understands GM is already constructing a power unit facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the most recent timeline stating its intention is to have its works engine ready by the end of the decade.

Sainz already using Ferrari experience to inform Williams transition

Carlos Sainz says he used his final laps in a Ferrari during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to prepare himself to be able to compare cars once he jumped into the Williams for testing. Ferrari has allowed Sainz to take part in the post-race Pirelli tire …

Carlos Sainz says he used his final laps in a Ferrari during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to prepare himself to be able to compare cars once he jumped into the Williams for testing.

Ferrari has allowed Sainz to take part in the post-race Pirelli tire test on Tuesday for Williams, and that was preceded by a filming day on Monday where he could complete limited mileage on demonstration tires. Sainz insists the transition into his next chapter is not something he envisages being particularly difficult because he was already thinking about how he could take learnings to Williams.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

“Being very honest with you, I don’t think (it’ll be hard),” Sainz said after Sunday’s race. “I’m not going to lie, my last laps, as much as I was pushing like hell for (Ferrari) and trying, I was already starting to feel things in the car and trying to say, remember how this feels. because (on Monday) and Tuesday I need to remember why is this car quick in this corner and why does it feel good?

“Because I know probably what I’m going to find (on Monday) and Tuesday needs some margin of improvement in the corners that I was feeling the car. So this just sums up that I’m already looking also ahead. I’m extremely motivated for the challenge that I have ahead of me.

“(Sunday) is a day to try and enjoy as much as possible with the team as my last day in red. We still have some days in Maranello coming up, but obviously my competitive mind is already looking forward to Monday and Tuesday and to see how I can make that Williams car faster.”

Sainz followed his filming day with the highest total of any single driver during Tuesday’s Pirelli test, completing 146 laps and setting the second fastest time behind former teammate Charles Leclerc, after spending the majority of the day at the top of the standings.

Leclerc tops Abu Dhabi F1 test, Sainz second-fastest on Williams debut

Charles Leclerc set the pace ahead of former teammate Carlos Sainz as the 2024 Formula 1 season came to a conclusion with testing in Abu Dhabi. All teams were allowed to run two cars at the one-day test, one for a rookie driver who has started no …

Charles Leclerc set the pace ahead of former teammate Carlos Sainz as the 2024 Formula 1 season came to a conclusion with testing in Abu Dhabi.

All teams were allowed to run two cars at the one-day test, one for a rookie driver who has started no more than two grands prix, and one for tire testing purposes for Pirelli. Leclerc was taking part in the entire day for Ferrari and topped the times with a 1m23.510, beating Sainz on his first official outing for Williams by 0.125s.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

Sainz had taken part in a filming day for Williams on Monday at the Yas Marina Circuit, but that took place on demonstration tires and with limited mileage. Tuesday was his first chance to really drive the FW46 in anger, and the Spaniard enjoyed an extremely productive day, completing 146 laps and spending most of it at the top of the timing screens.

Of more importance to Sainz was the opportunity to feel the differences between the Williams and Ferrari cars, and get used to procedures and settings, allowing him to provide feedback for areas to work on over the winter. The same can be said of Nico Hulkenberg on his first appearance for Sauber, with the German fourth fastest with a 1m23.789 and one of multiple drivers to exceed 100 laps.

While Hulkenberg was getting used to a new way of working after leaving Haas, he ended up sandwiched between two drivers in familiar machinery as Mercedes pair George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were third and fifth respectively. Antonelli had been due to drive for the entire day but an illness had ruled him out of the final Formula 2 weekend and he was still recovering, so reserve driver Fred Vesti was behind the wheel for the morning, before Antonelli managed 62 laps after lunch.

Pato O’Ward had another strong outing for McLaren with the seventh fastest time and 116 laps under his belt, at a track where he struggled with his neck on his testing debut back in 2021. O’Ward drove for the entire day while McLaren split running in the tire test car between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Alpine pair Jack Doohan and Paul Aron also drove for the full day, with Aron making his debut in current machinery just over a week after being confirmed as an Alpine reserve driver for 2025. The Estonian – who was third in this year’s F2 championship – only received the nod to drive on Sunday night but ended up 0.007s off Doohan’s best time and completed 121 laps to his team-mate’s 137.

Rounding out the top ten was the driver Doohan replaced, with Esteban Ocon making his debut for Haas. The Frenchman had to wait 15 minutes before starting his running but managed over 100 laps and posted a best time of 1m24.305.

There were other notable performances from rookies Luke Browning and Ryo Hirakawa in 11th and 12th for Williams and Haas respectively, while Liam Lawson in 13th had the highest lap count with 159 on what could well prove to be his last outing for RB. RACER understands Lawson is set to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull, once an agreement is reached regarding the latter’s departure.

That news will be a disappointment to Yuki Tsunoda who had his first outing in current Red Bull machinery and managed 127 laps during tire testing, ending up just 0.011s slower than Abu Dhabi Grand Prix winner Norris. The McLaren driver was also responsible for one of the few yellow flags during a remarkably clean day of running, spinning at Turn 14 in the morning session.

The only other interruptions were a Virtual Safety Car required to clear debris from Turn 7 mid-afternoon, and a spin for Isack Hadjar at the same corner before a very late red flag briefly interrupted proceedings for a barrier check in the final sector.

From an American perspective, Jak Crawford made his debut in the 2024 Aston Martin as part of the young driver testing and set a 1m24.997, edging out Felipe Drugovich in the sister car by 0.017s.

‘It hurts’ – Leclerc’s comeback charge not enough for Ferrari title

Charles Leclerc admits the pain of missing out on the constructors’ championship with Ferrari outweighs the pride at his remarkable recovery drive in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Leclerc started 19th on the grid due to a power unit penalty and poor …

Charles Leclerc admits the pain of missing out on the constructors’ championship with Ferrari outweighs the pride at his remarkable recovery drive in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Leclerc started 19th on the grid due to a power unit penalty and poor qualifying, leaving Ferrari with only a remote chance of overturning a 21-point deficit to McLaren with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri starting on the front row. A dramatic opening lap saw Piastri hit by Max Verstappen and Leclerc gain 11 positions to run in the top eight, going on to finish third behind teammate Carlos Sainz as Norris held on for the victory.

“I’m really happy about the race, but the disappointment is a lot bigger,” Leclerc said. “You don’t win or lose a championship in the last race — obviously, it’s over the course of the season and after every single race and McLaren has just done a better job than us. Congratulations to them.

“But it obviously hurts when you get to the last race. You know there’s an opportunity. It was a very difficult weekend, obviously, already with the penalty on Friday. It was never going to be easy. But after such a good first lap, the hopes were high. And yeah, we just came short of our dream, which was to win the constructors’. So it hurts.”

Leclerc’s brilliant first lap including a triple overtake around the outside of Turn 6 as he quickly moved himself inside the top 10, and he says he knew he had to take risks to give Ferrari any hope of overhauling McLaren.

A magic first lap from Leclerc cut through many of his obstacles on the way to the front. Motorsport Images

“I knew I had to be very aggressive, so I knew that in lap 1, I had to take all the risks possible in order to gain as many places as possible, to then be in a good position for the rest of the race,” he said. “This I achieved, but then, unfortunately, we were just starting too far back to do anything better than what we’ve done today.

“I think we’ve done the maximum. It hurts, obviously, because the season was so close until the end. It was a hard hit on Friday when we knew we had the penalty. We still gave it all and we just came short of our goal, which is a shame. But at the end, we’ve tried everything.”

Sainz was closer to Norris throughout his final race for Ferrari but couldn’t quite keep in touch with the McLaren, and he admits his car didn’t quite have the performance to secure the win it required.

“Obviously, a bit of a bittersweet feeling in the end,” Sainz said. “P2, I think, was the maximum we could do today, given the pace of Lando in the McLaren. I gave it everything, especially the first stint. It looked like we could hang on to them. Then as soon as we put the hard tires, they just seemed to be that one or two tenths quicker per lap, like we’ve seen all weekend, and they just got a bit out of reach.

“Congratulations, first of all, to McLaren. They deserve this championship. They’ve been rock solid in the last two-thirds of the championship — they’ve been incredible. From our side. I think we can be proud of the effort and the championship we put together. It’s been a tough year, but definitely a year where we need to be proud of, and hopefully I’ll be back here soon.”

 

Back row motivates me to do something very special – Leclerc

Charles Leclerc views his back row starting position due to a grid penalty and a track limits violation as a motivating factor for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Ferrari had to give Leclerc a new energy store after Friday, resulting in a 10-place grid …

Charles Leclerc views his back row starting position due to a grid penalty and a track limits violation as a motivating factor for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Ferrari had to give Leclerc a new energy store after Friday, resulting in a 10-place grid penalty that ensured the best starting position he could secure was 11th on the grid. Leclerc looked competitive in qualifying but then had his best Q2 lap deleted for exceeding track limits, resulting in him dropping out early and starting on the back row.

“[I feel] not so good after a qualifying like that,” Leclerc said. “We were a little bit better. It’s true that I don’t think we would have managed to beat the McLarens — they seemed too strong — but we could have been fourth. It was either P15 or P20 and P15 is better than P20. But if I get my lap time deleted it means we start from P20.

“We are not making our life any easier. However, it motivates me to do something very special tomorrow. My goal remains the same: it’s to win the constructors’ championship. And I still believe in it as much as I did yesterday, even though on paper obviously it’s going to be hard.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

Admitting the track limits violation was simply his own mistake, Leclerc says he is still believing Ferrari can overturn a 21-point deficit against McLaren to win the constructors’ title, despite Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locking out the front row.

“It’s very difficult [to judge Turn 1] — it’s obviously very difficult,” he said. “But it’s very difficult for everybody and I was on the wrong side of things in Q2 so I can only blame myself.

“The race pace was OK, but McLaren seemed to be a lot stronger. We’ve changed the car quite a bit since FP3. I think we went in the right direction. If anything our tire degradation is better than others, so I would expect to be in a better position.

“I believe in miracles. It makes our life very difficult, that’s for sure. But with the 10-place grid penalty it was always going to be difficult. But I see an opportunity to do something very special and I’ll do my best to do it. I’ll believe in it until the very last lap. Anything can happen.”

Vasseur not bothered by Hamilton’s recent dip in form

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says he has no concerns over Lewis Hamilton’s recent struggles ahead of his move to the Scuderia in 2025. Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz next season, but it has been an inconsistent year for the seven-time …

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says he has no concerns over Lewis Hamilton’s recent struggles ahead of his move to the Scuderia in 2025.

Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz next season, but it has been an inconsistent year for the seven-time world champion. Wins in Silverstone and Belgium have been followed more recently by tough outings in Brazil and Qatar – the latter prompting him to say “I’m definitely not fast anymore” – but Vasseur insists he has no concerns.

“Not at all,” Vasseur said. “Have a look on the 50 laps that he did in Vegas. Starting P10, finishing on the gearbox of [George] Russell, I’m not worried at all.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

Of more immediate focus for Ferrari is the constructors’ championship fight against McLaren.

“We’re still scoring more points than McLaren,” Vasseur said. “We are still alive for the championship. Charles is not far away now from Norris for the driver’s [championship]. Overall, it’s a good result. Now, I would prefer to be 20 points ahead versus 20 points behind. But I think on paper that the next one is probably a bit better for us.

“I would prefer to have 20 points in the pocket. It’s not a matter of pressure. It’s a matter (of needing) to do a good job and to be quick. First we have to be focused on ourselves. We were able to do one-two on some weekends during the season, [and we’ll] try to do this. But it’s true that even if you do a one-two, that they can [still] be champion, and that is that.

“But first, the most important is to be focused on ourselves, not to start to think about what the others are doing, because then you are lose a little bit (of) the pace of the weekend. At least this weekend [in Qatar], the approach was very good, because due to the mix of the championship, we stayed focused on our car, on our strategy, and not thinking too much about what McLaren or Red Bull is doing.”

Vasseur not concerned by Hamilton’s recent struggles

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says he has no concerns over Lewis Hamilton’s downturn in form in recent races ahead of his move to the Scuderia in 2025. Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz next season having signed a deal ahead of the current …

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says he has no concerns over Lewis Hamilton’s downturn in form in recent races ahead of his move to the Scuderia in 2025.

Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz next season having signed a deal ahead of the current campaign, but it has been an inconsistent year for the seven-time world champion. Wins in Silverstone and Belgium have been followed more recently by tough outings in Brazil and Qatar — the latter prompting him to say, “I’m definitely not fast anymore” — but the latest challenging weekend does not worry Vasseur.

“Not at all,” Vasseur said. “Have a look on the 50 laps that he did in Vegas. Starting P10, finishing on the gearbox of [George] Russell. I’m not worried at all.”

Of more immediate focus for Ferrari is the constructors’ championship fight against McLaren, and Vasseur says he likes his team’s chances.

“We’re still scoring more points than McLaren. We are still alive for the championship,” he said. “Charles [Leclerc] is not far away now from [Lando] Norris I think also for the driver’s [championship]. Overall, it’s a good result. Now, I would prefer to be 20 points ahead versus 20 points behind. But I think on paper that the next one is probably a bit better for us also.

“I would prefer to have 20 points in the pocket. It’s not a matter of pressure. It’s a matter to do a good job and to be quick. First we have to be focused on ourselves. We were able to do one-two on some weekends during the season, [and we’ll] try to do this. But it’s true that even if you do a one-two, that they can [still] be champion, and that is that.

“But first, the most important [thing] is to be focused on ourselves, not to start to think about what the others are doing and so on. Because then you are losing a little bit the pace of the weekend. At least this weekend [in Qatar], the approach was very good — due to the mix of the championship, we stayed focused on our car, on our strategy, and not thinking too much about what McLaren or Red Bull is doing.”

Sky Tempesta Racing gets Le Mans invite

Ferrari customer team Sky Tempesta Racing has been awarded an automatic invitation to enter the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMGT3 class. The British-flagged outfit has been awarded an invitation to compete in the race for the first time next …

Ferrari customer team Sky Tempesta Racing has been awarded an automatic invitation to enter the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMGT3 class.

The British-flagged outfit has been awarded an invitation to compete in the race for the first time next June following its success in the GT World Challenge Europe Bronze Cup class this year, winning the overall Bronze Cup Drivers’ and the Endurance Cup Teams’ and Drivers’ titles.

Sky Tempesta claimed the invite after a gripping season finale in Jeddah last weekend. Its Ferrari 296 GT3 finished sixth in class in the six-hour encounter, narrowly beating entries from Rutronik Racing and Barwell Motorsport to the Drivers’ title which earned it the place at La Sarthe.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1416]

“What an amazing feeling!” Sky Tempesta driver Chris Froggatt said. “Jeddah was a very tough weekend for us but I’m happy that the team came together, performed a relatively clean race and the points banked over the year helped us over a difficult weekend to lock in the wins. We can’t wait to be on the grid for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2025!”

Sky Tempesta joins Iron Lynx (European Le Mans Series) and Orey Fidani (IMSA Sportscar Championship), who have also received automatic invitations to the LMGT3 class for the race next year.

Further invitations will be awarded to the LMP2 (for LMP2) and GT (for LMGT3) champions in the Asian Le Mans Series over the winter, which begins at the Sepang International Circuit this weekend (7/8 December).

Leclerc surprised by Ferrari gains on McLaren in Qatar

Charles Leclerc says he would have signed up for a second place in the Qatar Grand Prix ahead of the race after being surprised by Ferrari’s ability to take points off McLaren. Max Verstappen held of Lando Norris in a close fight for the majority of …

Charles Leclerc says he would have signed up for a second place in the Qatar Grand Prix ahead of the race after being surprised by Ferrari’s ability to take points off McLaren.

Max Verstappen held of Lando Norris in a close fight for the majority of Sunday’s race, with Leclerc running third after multiple safety car periods. Norris then received a penalty that dropped him out of contention and after beating Oscar Piastri to second place, Leclerc was delighted to close the gap in the constructors’ championship to 21 points.

“Honestly, I would have signed straight away if I had a paper that told me that we will finish second after a weekend like this, especially on a track like this, because our car characteristics are not fitting very well with this track,” Leclerc said. “We knew it was going to be a very difficult weekend compared to the McLaren, but at the end, we managed to take some points away from them. So the fight will be all the way to the last race in Abu Dhabi next week.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]

“Yes, we did (exceed expectations) because to be honest, we knew that it would be very difficult pace-wise. We expected McLaren to be very strong in terms of race pace. We maybe did not expect Max to be that strong, but he was super strong.

“However, finishing second after such a weekend, where the track characteristics are very far off from the optimal we need for our car, is a surprise.

“We got a little bit lucky, obviously on my side. A bit unlucky with Carlos and his puncture. But as a team, it’s been a positive weekend. So yes, we exceeded our expectations because coming into the weekend, I kind of expected to lose a points compared to McLaren here. However, we recovered some, so that’s good.”

One of the reasons Leclerc believes Ferrari surprised itself was by accepting it was unlikely to be overly competitive and not worrying about the potential gap to its rivals at the start of the event.

“We knew that it wasn’t going to be our strongest weekend, but we decided to just focus on ourselves and try to do what was the best possible result for us, and I think we achieved that very well. We should be happy. Then we of course need to look at what we can do in the future to be faster on those kind of tracks, but this weekend we did work very well as a team.”