Frederic Vasseur shares the ‘great example’ Mercedes have provided that Ferrari must learn from

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Ferrari have experienced a very frustrating 2024 Formula 1 campaign up to the summer break.

After the first few races of the season, it looked like Charles Leclerc and the departing Carlos Sainz would be Red Bull’s closest rivals.

Sainz returned from surgery to produce an incredible win in Melbourne, although he’s only finished on the podium on three more occasions since that victory.

His teammate Leclerc’s season peaked at his home race in Monaco as he led from pole position to take an emotional win.

At the time, Ferrari had ambitions of overtaking Red Bull as they looked to end their long drought without a championship.

Ferrari’s hopes were pinned on a major update package they brought to the Spanish Grand Prix, but the changes made have done more harm than good.

Leclerc and Sainz have been suffering from increasing bouncing since those changes which has put Ferrari on the back foot and they now only have the fourth-fastest car on the grid, slipping behind McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship too.

Speaking to Formula Passion, team principal Frederic Vasseur explained how his team need to take inspiration from Mercedes to progress this year.

Mercedes looked to have gone backwards at the beginning of the year, but a few small changes have seen them win three of the last four races.

They now have to be considered as potential winners going into every Grand Prix for the rest of the season.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes AMG F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Frederic Vasseur shares what Ferrari must learn from Mercedes this year

Talking about the races coming up after the summer break, Vasseur said: “We also have a good group of tracks for us, with Monza, Baku and Singapore, tracks that suit the car’s characteristics.

“The most important thing is to score points. The goal for Spa-Francorchamps was not to lose points to McLaren and Red Bull, and it will be the same at Zandvoort.

“I am convinced that the next three or four races will be much better for us.

“We are pushing hard to bring something back and we will do it as soon as possible. Fixing the rebound is a step forward in performance.

“I think Spa is a great example for everyone: Mercedes was really struggling on Friday, but as soon as you fix something you can recover from P7 to P1.

“We are insisting that we have to pay attention to every single detail.

“It is no longer like two years ago, when whoever finished fourth or seventh was a minute behind Verstappen: for example, in Hungary we finished in the same position as a year ago, but we are 20 seconds away, no longer 65.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Ferrari have fantastic record at the Dutch Grand Prix but not in recent times

Teams aren’t allowed to work on their cars for two weeks during the summer break, meaning Ferrari are unlikely to have made big steps forward since Spa.

However, they’ll be hoping they can replicate some of their past success in the Netherlands.

No team has a better record at the Dutch Grand Prix than Ferrari, having won the race on eight occasions.

However, their last victory came in 1983, when French pair Rene Arnoux and Patrick Tambay completed a one-two for the Scuderia.

Last season saw Sainz have to settle for 5^th while Leclerc only completed just over half the race distance before a floor issue ended his chances of scoring points.

The grid has converged to such an extent that the smallest tweak to a car during a race weekend can make all the difference.

Ferrari will hope they can make similar adjustments at Zandvoort that can produce an unlikely victory.