Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur believes McLaren has now joined the top Formula 1 teams in their pursuit to unseat Red Bull's run of victories. Since the start of 2023 both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have been the only drivers to win, with the Dutchman now on a run of six victories in a row after winning the British Grand Prix with Red Bull claiming 10 from 10. Behind Christian Horner's team is a tight battle between teams as regulars Ferrari and Mercedes attempt to close the gap, while Aston Martin and McLaren have managed to join. “When you finish P2 in Austria, you can have expectations to win a race," Vasseur told media, including RacingNews365. "I think in our group we are all fighting for a win. When I say ‘our group’, it’s McLaren, Aston Martin, Mercedes, [and] us. "We all have the target to win a race, but first the target is to be the first of the group.”
Gaps tight between teams
Ferrari has been introducing updates to help bring confidence back to their drivers, while Mercedes and McLaren also significantly changed their cars in the last few races. Vasseur highlighted how certain factors throughout a race weekend can influence the fluctuating gap between teams. "It's so tight between P2 and P9 that on some sessions we have one or two tenths between the [first] four or six cars," he said. "It means that if the layout of the track is fitting with your car or if you have a good setup for the weekend, you have a clean weekend with no technical issues, if you are gaining one tenth, it's a huge step in terms of position for the complete weekend."
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