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For Ferrari, the São Paulo Grand Prix was one to forget as quickly as possible. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton failed to finish, costing the team valuable points in the tight fight for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur admitted afterwards that the weekend had completely unravelled.
Leclerc looked strong early on at Interlagos, making up several positions in the opening laps. But his race ended abruptly when he was caught in the collision between Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri. “Charles had a great start and was moving forward nicely,” Vasseur said. “But he became the victim of something he had nothing to do with. I don’t care who was at fault, but it certainly wasn’t Charles.”
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According to Vasseur, Max Verstappen’s performance demonstrated what might have been possible for Ferrari. “When you see what Max did today — his pace, his consistency — you realise there was a lot we could have achieved too,” the Frenchman explained. “We could have fought back and scored good points. But with two retirements, you lose not just opportunities, you throw away the whole weekend.”
The damage is significant for Ferrari as the battle for second intensifies. Mercedes extended its advantage, while Red Bull Racing overtook the Scuderia in the standings. Vasseur acknowledged how costly every missed point now becomes. “At this stage, it’s simple: when you lose points, you hand them directly to your rivals,” he sighed. “That’s a double punishment, and in our case, it’s a painful one.”
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Ferrari will need a strong performance in Las Vegas to make up ground on Mercedes. Still, Vasseur remains optimistic that the team can respond. “We know the pace is there — we saw it on Friday and in the first stint,” he said. “Now it’s about putting together a weekend without mistakes. Two crashes in one day... that’s just too much.”
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