Ferrari has been known for their strategy blunders in Formula 1, but in more recent years there has been a collective effort to improve their line of communication.
Fans of Ferrari will be aware of Charles Leclerc’s heartbreak at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, while the team also made a catastrophic error with their tyre strategy later in the season which cost them victory at the Hungarian GP.
Several changes to Ferrari’s leadership were made in 2023, with longtime Sauber team principal Fred Vasseur stepping up to reorganise the strategy department.
Vasseur was reluctant to make any knee-jerk reactions, as had been the case with Ferrari in previous years, so put head of strategy Inaki Rueda in a factory role and Ravin Jain trackside.
The results saw a big improvement in Ferrari’s strategy department, with fewer mistakes being made and more aggressive strategies that put rivals under pressure.
Discussing the changes on the Red Flags podcast, former F1 strategist Bernie Collins has praised Vasseur for the work he has done behind the scenes.
Bernie Collins praises Frederic Vasseur for improvements made to Ferrari strategy
Carlos Sainz’s comeback victory at the Australian Grand Prix last year was a testament to the changes made, given he needed to make use of the powerful undercut at the Melbourne circuit to hold off threats from rivals McLaren.
Collins believes Ferrari is a much more streamlined operation in terms of strategy compared to what it was previously when Sebastian Vettel could be heard dictating their strategy to engineers.
“Just from observation from the outside on the radio, I think Fred [Vasseur] is making a really big difference there. I think he’s beginning to build trust in people to make their own decisions, stick by it, and move on,” said Collins.
“We’ve seen over the past two years a strengthening because none of the people on the pit wall are idiots; they’re all intelligent people, so it’s about empowering them to make the decisions they feel are right.”
Lewis Hamilton told he faces certain challenges at Ferrari
Hamilton stepping up to Ferrari is one of the biggest stories of the 2025 season, as he attempts to win an eighth world title.
The Briton has been told by Collins that the challenge at Ferrari should not be ‘underestimated’ due to the different environment he will face, namely with their terminology, steering wheel and cockpit.
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Hamilton has spent much of his first weeks with Ferrari out on track testing, having completed runs at Fiorano and Barcelona to acclimatise himself with his new engineer and car.
During a recent Pirelli test, Hamilton was marginally quicker than Leclerc although they were on different run plans and using development tyres, which means the times can’t be read into too much.
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