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Ferrari are in their strongest position since the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, but Ted Kravitz has suggested that Lewis Hamilton and team principal Fred Vasseur don’t completely agree on the next steps that they should make.
Lewis Hamilton got the better of teammate Charles Leclerc across the Chinese Grand Prix, outqualifying him twice before beating him to the final spot on the podium.
There’s been a clear improvement in Hamilton’s mood this season, and Ferrari have built a car and a power unit that’s a step ahead of the likes of McLaren and Red Bull.
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Mercedes are the team in Fred Vasseur’s sight now, with the Silver Arrows starting the campaign with back-to-back one-two finishes.
The Scuderia have built a car capable of leapfrogging Mercedes at the start of each race, but they don’t have the ability to sustain that pressure across a race distance.
Ted Kravitz has now addressed the next steps Ferrari are looking at taking to improve, but it seems that Vasseur and Hamilton aren’t quite on the same page yet.
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Fred Vasseur targeting chassis improvement, while Lewis Hamilton wants an upgraded Ferrari engine
Speaking on Ted’s Notebook after the Chinese Grand Prix, Kravitz explained: “I did ask Fred Vasseur, ‘Is it possible to improve the power unit?’ He said, ‘Well, we have the ADUO,’ that they call it.
“It’s the development upgrade opportunity that all the power unit people have, but the worse you are, the more development upgrade opportunity you get.
“And at the moment, Ferrari aren’t doing too badly. So, that’s why it’s going to be quite difficult, and why Fred said he’d rather find five-tenths of a second from the chassis, I mean, good luck with that, but it’s possible than five-tenths of a second from the power unit like Lewis is asking for.
“But Lewis is asking for more from the power unit side. So, how much he’ll be able to get it, I do not know.”
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Fred Vasseur suggests Ferrari are still ‘a long way off’ Mercedes after the Chinese Grand Prix
Hamilton has already spotted key differences between this year’s Ferrari and Mercedes, but their different strengths are creating some very exciting battles on track.
That did allow Kimi Antonelli to escape at the front as he went on to win his first Grand Prix, but considering Hamilton was struggling to get out of Q1 by the end of last season, he’ll still be very pleased with this huge improvement.
Speaking in his official post-race debrief in Shanghai, Vasseur said: “It was a positive weekend overall, and I’m happy for Lewis, as this first podium with Ferrari is an important step for him.
“Of course, we are still a long way off Mercedes, and we need to work very hard in the coming weeks. We are working on all elements of our package, although it is a bit more difficult on the power unit as it is frozen at the moment, so we need to make progress in different areas.
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“Charles also had a positive weekend, and the duel between our two drivers was very exciting, to the point that I had to check my heart rate! I trust both of them, and I didn’t want to ask them to freeze the positions, because that would have been unfair. They are professionals, and today’s battle was good for the team and good for the sport.”
Anthony Davidson thinks Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying performance has returned this season, which will allow him to fight Leclerc much harder than last year.
If he can get the better of the Monegasque driver over one lap, then Hamilton will trust his race pace to see him beat Leclerc over the course of a season in the championship.
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