Fred Vasseur pinpoints the root of Ferrari's Austrian Grand Prix struggles

It is difficult to believe, but just two weeks after the high of Barcelona, Ferrari found themselves in a real fight for survival at the Austrian Grand Prix. The reality was harsh: the car simply did not have the pace of Max Verstappen or Mercedes. Fred Vasseur was blunt about the situation, admitting that the team's Sunday was defined by a performance deficit that no amount of strategy could mask.

Everything started to unravel early. In an attempt to stay with the leaders, both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc pushed their machines to the limit in the opening laps. According to Vasseur, they overpushed, effectively destroying their chances by overheating the tyres and forcing a desperate three-stop strategy to compensate. By the time the dust settled at the Red Bull Ring, Hamilton crossed the line in fifth, with Leclerc trailing in eighth.

While Vasseur acknowledged the team took strategic risks to make up ground, he insists the focus must return to raw pace. The poor performance on Friday clearly haunted their entire weekend. With the British Grand Prix on the horizon, the team is already looking to move on, admitting they were perhaps too preoccupied with Mercedes rather than focusing on their own race.