Fred Vasseur rejects wind theory after Ferrari misses pole in Austin

Vasseur dismisses wind theory

Ferrari failed to convert practice dominance into a front-row start at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. After Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton topped all three practice sessions, Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for Mercedes. Leclerc finished fourth, 0.232s behind the Italian, while Hamilton took fifth, 0.276s behind Antonelli. Max Verstappen secured P2 ahead of teammate Isack Hadjar, leaving both Ferraris behind the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers. The gap between the two Ferrari drivers remained small; only 0.044s separated Leclerc and Hamilton. Fred Vasseur rejected suggestions that wind hindered the drivers. He called such claims "bulls**t" during his post-qualifying interview with Sky Sports. The team principal noted that the conditions applied to all 22 drivers and that the Scuderia must improve its execution on the final lap to extract the potential shown in the SF-26. Vasseur expressed frustration because the team held enough pace to fight for pole until the very last corner of Q3. He noted that the team had better form during Q2, but the performance dropped during the final session. Vasseur explained that the feeling of "mixed feelings" stems from the potential shown all weekend. He said, "It is as it is, and it is all part of the game, but I think [the race] will be a different exercise, and it will be difficult with a lot of degradation, but for sure, there is a bit of frustration because we had very good potential until the last corner of Q3."

Drivers cite tyre and speed issues

The drivers provided conflicting explanations for why the team lost its pace during the decisive third session. Hamilton attributed the result to a straight-line speed deficit. He stated that while the car remained competitive through the corners, the team loses time on the straights. On team radio after ending up fifth, a bemused Hamilton said: "These guys must be turning up [their engines] for that last Q3 because where did that time go?" Hamilton noted that although the car felt competitive in FP3, the other teams somehow took another step forward in Q3 because the team made no changes to the car’s setup since the previous sessions. Hamilton had topped FP3 for the first time in over two years, which marked his first since the 2024 Italian GP. Leclerc argued that the issue involved the tyres and a drop in track temperature. He explained that increased cloud cover in Q3 caused a loss of one or two degrees in track temperature, which made the out-lap extremely difficult. This temperature change created a night and day difference for the Monegasque driver during his final run. Leclerc previously finished second fastest to McLaren’s Lando Norris in Q1 before he took fourth in Q3. Vasseur added that a minor misjudgment in these conditions can move a driver from P2 to P6 or P7. He said a driver can go from "hero to zero" if they miss a breaking point by a single metre.

Race day scenarios

Ferrari now looks toward Sunday’s 56-lap race where high tyre degradation is expected. Leclerc believes a win remains possible from fourth on the grid. He noted that he won from this exact position two years ago in Austin. He said that a good start and positioning the car to anticipate what happens will be key because of the wide entry in turn one. Hamilton remains more cautious, though he expects the car to apply pressure to the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers. The team must manage the tyres effectively to combat the predicted degradation over the race distance. Ferrari last took pole position in August 2025 in Hungary. The team faces a demanding schedule that includes the Mexico City GP on 01 Nov, the Brazilian GP on 08 Nov, the Las Vegas GP on 22 Nov, the Qatar GP on 29 Nov, and the Abu Dhabi GP on 06 Dec.