Vasseur delivers ‘huge fight’ F1 prediction

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has predicted the remainder of the current F1 season will be a “huge fight” at the front of the field.

Red Bull’s early-season advantage has been wiped out, with the Milton Keynes-based outfit not taking to the top step at any of the last six races.

Ferrari won last time out at Monza, while McLaren and Mercedes have also challenged at the front of the field.

While it managed to fend off the competition for victory at the Italian Grand Prix, Vasseur was hesitant to predict if it would continue to compete for wins.

“I think it would be a huge mistake to try to draw any conclusions or to change the plan [after victory at Monza],” Vasseur told media including RacingNews365. 

“There is a very long way to go until Abu Dhabi, there is something like 450 points on the table.

“It’s so tight, the fight – honestly, I spent a couple of years on the pit wall but it’s the first time I think in F1 we have this situation where eight drivers can win the race, without an accident or crash. 

“Four teams are able to win or be on the podium, and it’s changing from session to session.”

Ferrari currently sit 40 points down on Red Bull in the constructors’ championship while McLaren has narrowed the gap to just eight points.

Vasseur believes the competitive landscape at the front of the field will not shift before the end of the season.

“For me the most impressive was probably Spa where you had a McLaren in FP1, Red Bull in FP2, we started from pole and Mercedes won the race, and we have the feeling that it is almost like this everywhere, except Lando dominating at Zandvoort,” he said.

“But you can expect that, I think until the end of the season, it will be like this, that it will be a huge fight.

“It’s true that with eight cars with this kind of competitiveness that one team can do a one-two and also a seven-eight. 

“I don’t want to speak about DNF, but this can make a huge difference in terms of points. Let’s be focused on Baku first. Step by step we will see.”