Frederic Vasseur told the ‘bigger picture’ decision Ferrari must make to catch McLaren

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Ferrari may have a promising future ahead of them, with Lewis Hamilton joining the team for the 2025 season alongside Charles Leclerc.

The Italian team have been competitive this season and have had moments of brilliance, taking victory through Leclerc in Monaco and at the Italian Grand Prix.

Ferrari have won three races this season, with Carlos Sainz winning the Australian Grand Prix earlier in the season at Albert Park.

Despite their excellent form and a trio of race wins, Ferrari are third in the Constructors’ Championship and have been overtaken by McLaren, who are leading the standings.

Performance engineer Jock Clear explained the key decision Ferrari and team principal Frederic Vasseur needs to make when speaking to RacingNews365.

Jock Clear has ‘no idea’ if McLaren have improved so much due to their wind tunnel

Ferrari have been very impressive at slower-speed circuits, such as in Monaco and Azerbaijan, but they suffered at the Canadian Grand Prix with a double retirement.

The Italian team have consistently been in and around the top five this season but have lacked the ultimate speed to compete at the very front.

Clear explained that he doesn’t know if McLaren have taken a step forward due to their wind tunnel and Ferrari have narrowed the gap in recent races.

READ MORE: Susie Wolff shares what excites her about Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari

He said: “Honestly, I have no idea [why McLaren have improved] and wouldn’t like to say that that is where McLaren’s performance is coming from, they’ve just done a good job this season.

“But actually, we’ve closed the gap to a large extent, there are still circuits which suit them, but certainly, you’ve seen over the past couple of races, we’ve closed the gap again.

“It is just the push and pull of everyone’s development, and if we see over a period of time there seems to be something coming back to our processes and with what we’re doing we just don’t seem able to keep up, then that is a bigger picture decision Fred has to make, with some big money behind it.”

Ferrari are slowly improving but aren’t at the level of a title-winning team

Ferrari have been the team to beat at a selection of circuits but haven’t been quick enough to compete for the championship.

Hamilton will be introduced to Maranello next season where he will race alongside Leclerc, who feels Ferrari can compete for the championship in 2025.

McLaren and Red Bull have been above the rest of the field for much of the season, and Ferrari will have to improve in many areas to battle for the title next season.

The arrival of Hamilton will be a boost, but at some circuits, there is a significant gap behind the frontrunners. Last time out in Singapore, Leclerc finished fifth, more than a minute behind race winner Lando Norris.