Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur and 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve appeared a little tense during post-qualifying conversations following the Scuderia’s double Q2 elimination in Canada.
Ferrari went into qualifying with a job to do after a final hour of practice in which Charles Leclerc finished in 10th place, the best result, but with track grip and the pecking order constantly shifting and the threat of rain lingering, the battle for pole position was a close one.
Fred Vasseur’s harsh response to Jacques Villeneuve
However, Ferrari was unable to join the fight for pole position, with Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both failing to qualify on their final run on used soft tyres and therefore eliminated in Q2.
Vasseur was interviewed by Sky F1 after qualifying, and Villeneuve, who is the network’s pundit this weekend, told Vasseur: “Before the weekend started I was sure Ferrari…”
At this point, Vasseur interrupted Villeneuve, saying: “Yes, but you make mistakes sometimes too.”
Villeneuve continued: “But even though we were sure that this track had all the perfect ingredients for Ferrari – the slow corners and the changes of direction – it just didn’t work out.”
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve had been resurfaced ahead of the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, so Villeneuve asked Vasseur whether the new asphalt or track temperatures could have played a role in Ferrari’s elimination from Q2.
Vasseur responded: “No, the new asphalt is the same for everyone.”
“I think the drop conditions are a bit extreme. [of rain] Plus, it’s really hard to switch it on in cold conditions, but that’s no excuse.
“The situation is the same for everyone and we have to deal with the situation.”
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Vasseur admitted that Ferrari was not taking a risk by using second-hand soft tyres for its final run in Q2, but rather simply did not have fresh alternative tyres available.
“There are no more new sets available. The last sets will be available in the third quarter,” he clarified.
“We’re all in the same situation except for Mercedes, because they only put one set into Q1.”
Leclerc, who took pole position in his home race in Monaco last time out, is expected to finish 11th in the Canadian Grand Prix, with Sainz 12th, but with rain forecast again for Sunday’s Grand Prix, all hope is not lost for Ferrari.
“The weather forecast for tomorrow is not very good,” Vasseur noted, “which means the race could be disrupted, but the race pace is OK.”
“We’ll see how it goes tomorrow. We have to make the best of the situation. When things aren’t going well, we have to take advantage of our opportunities to try and get maximum points.”
Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recorded identical lap times in the battle for pole position, with Russell achieving historic success by taking the honours for only the second time in F1 history.
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