Team orders at Ferrari: Frederic Vasseur’s response after internal battle in Austin Sprint. Fred Vasseur is not indifferent to the internal battle within Ferrari in the USA GP Sprint race.

Frédéric Vasseur is not indifferent to the fratricidal battle within Ferrari during the Sprint Race at the Austin F1 GP: are team orders coming?

After the Sprint Race at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur addressed the issue of team orders. The Scuderia’s two drivers engaged in a spectacular (and fratricidal) duel in Saturday’s race at the 5.513-kilometre Circuit of The Americas in Texas. The Ferrari pair spent nearly half of the race battling each other, losing touch with the race leaders and degrading their tires in the process.

Ferrari’s performance in Austin can’t be described as uncompetitive: the SF-24 proved to be agile in the Third Sector of the Circuit of The Americas, excelling in long corners while struggling in the snake section. This balance allowed the Ferrari to shine during the race, even though qualifying remains its weak spot. With careful damage limitation, the team can still aim high.

The fratricidal duel between the two Ferrari drivers, however, didn’t go unnoticed. Almost half the race was spent in overtakes and counter-overtakes, sometimes perhaps risking more than necessary. Carlos Sainz highlighted the fairness of the battle, and he secured a respectable result at the end of the Sprint Race. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, appeared more frustrated, commenting on a “different approach” to the race.

Amid the tension, Frédéric Vasseur stepped in. The team principal of Ferrari was keen to defuse any potential controversy: “[Issuing team orders] would have been a mistake,” explained the Frenchman, as reported by Motorsport-Magazin. “We trusted them, and they did a good job. They didn’t touch, we passed Lando, and we weren’t that far from Max. I think its very up and down over the race for everybody… one lap you have the pace, the next lap is more difficult. I think it would’ve been a mistake to do it. I trust them, they did a good job not to have any contact… i think it was a good race for the team and the drivers.” – the French manager pointed out at the end of the Austin Sprint race.

These words helped ease tensions within the Ferrari garage, but they don’t rule out a change in strategy for the main race. A more controlled approach between the two Ferrari drivers could provide a real chance of victory, even on a circuit theoretically “unfavorable” to them.