Fred Vasseur said Suzuka, where Kimi Antonelli won and Charles Leclerc held off George Russell, gave Ferrari a lift. He added the five-week break must deliver broad upgrades before Miami to fix weak spots and close a 45-point gap to Mercedes.
Antonelli’s victory and Leclerc’s late defense against the Mercedes underlined Ferrari’s race pace. The team managed energy well in the final laps. That denied Russell a podium and showed Ferrari can match Mercedes over a stint at Suzuka. The result also reinforced Ferrari’s execution under pressure, from tire life to battery deployment.
After three rounds Ferrari sit second in the constructors’ standings, 45 points behind Mercedes. They have finished on the podium at every event. The run shows consistency, but the points gap shows the scale of the task.
The calendar now pauses for a month due to the Middle East conflict. Teams will use the window to prepare upgrade packages for the Miami return. Vasseur said Ferrari now have three race weekends of data to map strengths and weaknesses. Suzuka’s long corners, high energy load, and long straights gave clear reads on balance and drag. The team will target both areas in its development plan.
Vasseur set the tone on approach. He said the solution is not a single big step, but many small ones. Ferrari will push homologation work across the car. The aim is to add performance in several zones rather than chase one headline change. The plan spans aero surfaces, cooling layouts, and mechanical setup ranges. He said the outcome depends on doing a better job than rivals in every detail.
Ferrari see two areas as priorities. The car loses pace when overtake modes are not active. That hurts when running in traffic or when battery use must be managed. Straight-line performance also remains a concern. Rival cars have been able to recover ground on the straights, which was clear in stints at Suzuka. The upgrade set for Miami is expected to address both energy deployment efficiency and drag.
The team’s engineers will now run simulator and wind tunnel programs to lock parts for approval. Ferrari want the first wave on the car at Miami, with more to follow as the season restarts. The goal is clear. Keep the podium streak alive, turn race-day speed into more wins, and start trimming the gap to Mercedes.