Frederic Vasseur has shed light on why Ferrari's updated 2025 car floor isn't in use at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Following the Melbourne-Shanghai double header, the team pinpointed a flaw in the current floor—its excessive sensitivity to ride height variations, resulting in significant downforce losses. Early speculation hinted at a solution for Suzuka, but confirmed reports now place its debut at next weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.
"In the age of budget caps, you don't bring major upgrades like front wings or underbodies to Suzuka," team principal Vasseur explained.
"Not only would that be too expensive in terms of transport, but you would also have to build too many kits because you can easily lose parts in accidents at Suzuka."
Despite the unexpected double disqualification after China and the current standings of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at ninth and tenth, Vasseur remains composed. "We're not as good as McLaren," said the Frenchman. "But the gap isn't as big as it appears from the outside."
Championship leader Lando Norris also acknowledges Ferrari's potential. "Fred Vasseur said Ferrari can compete with us and should be at the front much more often," the McLaren driver noted at Suzuka.
"I mean, they beat us in the sprint in China, and they qualified ahead of us, so I guess that just shows how far ahead we are," Norris added with evident sarcasm.
Some have speculated that Hamilton's early frustrations signal dwindling trust in Ferrari's storied legacy. "Someone sent me something about whether I lose confidence in the team or not but that's complete rubbish," said the ex-Mercedes driver.
"I have absolutely 100 percent confidence in this team. There was a huge hype at the beginning of the year but I don't know if anyone expected us to win from the first race and win a championship in the first year. That was certainly not my expectation," Hamilton, 40, continued.
"I knew I was entering a new culture and a new team. That takes time."
