Vasseur tempers Ferrari optimism despite a strong Friday in Mexico
Charles Leclerc led both Ferrari sessions in Mexico, with 1m18.128s in FP1 and 1m17.827s in FP2, but Fred Vasseur refuses to promise pole and says there is work to do overnight. Lewis Hamilton was 0.738s off in the first practice and had an engine problem in the second.
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Fred Vasseur não transforma a sexta-feira da Ferrari no México em promessa de pole. Charles Leclerc liderou as duas sessões no Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — 1m18.128s no FP1 e 1m17.827s no FP2 —, enquanto Lewis Hamilton ficou em quarto no primeiro treino, 0.738s atrás do companheiro, antes de um problema de motor encerrar o FP2 dele.
“Não tenho que estar confiante ou não. Temos que trabalhar, temos que tentar conseguir o melhor para amanhã”, disse o francês, descrevendo as condições como extremas e o piso como “muito esburacado” antes da curva 1, quase perigoso, com trabalho necessário durante a noite.
O alerta vem do fim de semana passado: a Ferrari liderou todas as sessões em Austin, classificou-se em quarto e quinto e terminou em segundo e quarto, com Leclerc apontando a evolução da pista e Hamilton os pneus. No México o asfalto de baixa aderência evolui rápido, e a Mercedes, com uma Red Bull em recuperação, está em forma.
“Todo mundo vai melhorar, todo mundo vai ajustar o pacote com a altitude”, acrescentou Vasseur, observando que as exigências de carga aerodinâmica do circuito são um desafio extra para os pilotos.
A altitude faz o turbo trabalhar mais; como a SF-26 usa um turbo menor, o atraso deve ser mínimo — o motivo pelo qual George Russell apontou a Ferrari como favorita antes do fim de semana. Hamilton discordou depois do FP2: “Não concordo muito com essa questão do turbo”, disse ele, citando a velocidade de reta da Mercedes e da Red Bull, embora aceite que a equipe ainda está dois ou três décimos atrás. Uma terceira vitória em 2026, depois de Hamilton em Barcelona e Leclerc em Silverstone, é o prêmio em jogo.
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