Vasseur links Ferrari’s uneven São Paulo pace to tyre temperatures

Ferrari’s pace at Interlagos swung from competitive to far off the mark, team principal Fred Vasseur said after the São Paulo Grand Prix. In some phases and conditions, he said, the team struggled to get its tyres into the right temperature window.

Vasseur put the effect of missing that window at half a second, compared with tenths for most upgrades or track characteristics. His conclusion was that if the tyres were not in the right spot, “you are nowhere.” He cited Charles Leclerc’s soft-tyre stint as an example: Vasseur described a large gap between its start and the final couple of laps, when Leclerc was almost as quick as drivers on new tyres.

Tyres were not the only handicap. Vasseur also cited Ferrari’s continuing top-speed problem and the power-unit penalties. Both drivers faced 10-place penalties for new power-unit elements, while an issue with Lewis Hamilton’s new engine in FP3 triggered a further change before qualifying. Vasseur said starting from the back with only one dry line available made recovery especially difficult.

Vasseur also said Ferrari may have brought Hamilton in for slicks too aggressively: Fernando Alonso was faster on intermediates on the following lap.

Leclerc’s contact with Liam Lawson led to a penalty that dropped him one place in the final classification; Leclerc was eighth and Hamilton ninth.