Japan GP, Vasseur is confident: "We are not far away"

At the end of the day dedicated to free practice, with several issues especially related to the second session (conditioned by several red flags), Vasseur took stock of the Ferrari seen on the circuit on Suzuka.

“It’s been very complicated but Charles and Lewis were quite satisfied”, the words of the Rossa team principal to Sky Sport.

Vasseur also spoke about McLaren, which set the fastest time in both Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2, respectively, with Norris and Piastri: “Honestly, seeing the pace this morning, we are not very far away”. A joke also about Hamilton: “Lewis seemed to be going very strong but you can&#8217t draw conclusions from so few laps on the track. Maybe McLaren is still a step ahead but we are very close to Red Bull and Mercedes”.

Both free practice sessions of the Japanese GP were affected by strong winds: “Yes, it is true. However, tomorrow (Saturday, ed.), the situation will change. The wind will turn 180° and this will bring consequences in terms of balance. It will be exactly the opposite of what we saw on Friday. It will be like that for everyone but we will have to be very careful”, the Red team principal’s comment. Appointment to Saturday morning (8:00 am) for official qualifying.