The Ferrari team boss, Frederic Vasseur, explained how Mercedes prevented them from trying a different strategy during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Formula 1. Despite starting in fourth place and holding off the pressure from Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz Jr ended up losing his position when Piastri used fresher tires to gain an advantage. Vasseur revealed that Ferrari had initially planned to extend Sainz’s first stint, but changed their minds when they realized the Mercedes drivers could become a factor. The difficulty of overtaking on the tight Imola circuit influenced their decision to pit Sainz, even if it meant sacrificing their tire advantage. Vasseur acknowledged it would be challenging to keep Russell and Hamilton behind for an extended period. However, he noted it was easier to overtake Perez and Stroll, who were on their first set of tires. Being stuck behind a slower car would make overtaking Mercedes more difficult, even with the same tires.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc pressured Lando Norris early in the second stint, but had a moment at Variante Alta that ended his pursuit. Leclerc finished the race seven seconds behind Norris and winner Max Verstappen. Vasseur suspected Leclerc may have pushed too hard and damaged his tires while chasing the McLaren. Leclerc ran slightly off track at the chicane, resulting in a poor set of tires. This caused him to lose momentum and drop out of the DRS zone. Vasseur believed all drivers were facing similar challenges, with tires overheating after pushing hard to close the gap.
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