Ferrari told to 'step it up' to deliver on promise in Austrian GP

Fred Vasseur has told Ferrari to "step up a gear" at the Austrian Grand Prix after recent poor results. 

After banking a one-three in Monaco, Ferrari posted a double DNF in Canada before a five-six finish in Spain, where the SF-24 was the fourth-fastest car. 

The Red Bull Ring has been a happy hunting ground for the team in the ground effects era, with Charles Leclerc winning the 2022 race and finishing a close second to Max Verstappen last year. 

An upgrade package was introduced in Spain, which the team did not quite extract the maximum performance from, but Vasseur wants to see the Scuderia "step up" ahead of round 11 of the 2024 season.

"The upgrades introduced in Spain worked as expected, but clearly our competitors have not been twiddling their thumbs," Vasseur explained. 

"At the moment there are four teams all within less than three-tenths of one another. 

"Now we have Austria, a track that takes just a little over a minute to lap, so that those aforementioned gaps could become even smaller. 

"We will be focusing completely on ourselves because in Spielberg each tiny detail can make a difference. I want to see us step up a gear in Austria."

The trip to Austria is also the second of six sprint races in the 2024 season, with teams only having 60 minutes of practice before they get into the sprint shootout on Friday afternoon, with Vasseur keen to see his team hit the ground running.

"This weekend also sees the return of the Sprint format, so the work carried out back in Maranello becomes even more significant, as there is only one hour of free practice prior to qualifying," he said.

"Everyone in the team, including the drivers, must be on top of their game to ensure we don’t miss any opportunities that come our way. 

"That applies to qualifying, especially when up against such strong opponents and also in terms of how we execute the race."