Ferrari is barely 4 factors behind the Brackley-based crew, having gained an extra 16 in Las Vegas, helped by Charles Leclerc’s last-lap go for second on Sergio Perez.
Carlos Sainz backed his team-mate up with sixth, the Spaniard having overcome a grid penalty and a first-lap spin so as to add eight factors to the crew’s rally.
Given the excessive stakes by way of each status and the share of the prize fund, the battle for second within the constructors’ desk will add an additional dimension to the Abu Dhabi season finale.
“When you contemplate that we have been 60 factors behind them couple of races in the past, we’re on path,” mentioned Vasseur. “However Abu Dhabi shall be one other story, 4 factors it is nothing or rather a lot.
“And once more we have been capable of carry out in Monza, in Singapore, in Mexico throughout this weekend on completely different tracks with completely different climate situations, completely different compounds, and we may be greater than motivated earlier than Abu Dhabi. The momentum is for us, and let’s examine what occurs.”
Vasseur admitted that there have been combined feelings within the camp after Leclerc had led the Las Vegas race, with the security care simply after his pitstop having performed him no favours.
“For positive on our aspect it is a unusual feeling,” he mentioned when requested by Autosport to sum up the crew’s Vegas race. “You do the pole place, you overtake 3 times Purple Bull within the race, and also you do P2. It is not typical!
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Frederic Vasseur, Workforce Principal and Common Supervisor, Scuderia Ferrari
“However I feel additionally the timing of the security automotive was the worst case situation for us, 4 laps after our pitstop. Okay, it’s like it’s.
“Charles did a mega good job. However even Carlos, and in the event you contemplate the Thursday story, the FP1 story, plus the incident in Flip 1, he was P20 or P18, and he was coming again P6. For us general it is a good weekend.”
Vasseur admitted that he didn’t assume Leclerc would be capable to go Perez on the ultimate lap.
“It was on the restrict,” he mentioned. “However the lap earlier than, at one stage I mentioned the lap earlier than we’ll attempt to do it, however I had the hole on my [pitwall] sprint, and mentioned ‘wow, no, it is too distant’. However the lap after…
“I used to be a bit shocked, most likely lower than Checo! Nevertheless it was a mega good transfer and I feel he was so motivated.”
Vasseur acknowledged that Ferrari did job on tyre administration in Las Vegas, the place the low temperatures noticed drivers struggling to get warmth into their Pirellis, however careworn that the efficiency wasn’t a one-off.
“It was additionally the case on another events,” he mentioned. “However once more, for nearly nothing you’ll be able to [go] on the unsuitable path now on the tyres, it isn’t really easy that if you need to put in power or not into the tyres.
Photograph by: Erik Junius
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23
“It is troublesome for everyone, maybe a bit much less for Purple Bull over the season. If in case you have a glance they have been performing in each single situation, however for the opposite groups it’s kind of up and down. However we’ll attempt to keep on the up.”
He added: “If in case you have a have a look at the Mercedes, final week [in Brazil they] have been completely nowhere on the tyre administration and so they did an honest race this weekend.
“From monitor to trace, from compound to compound, it is a completely different story. Right now the situations have been fairly chilly in comparison with the remainder of the season. And we had administration.
“I feel it was actually the case, not the final race, however a few races in the past. Nevertheless it’s all the time on the sting on the tyre administration.”