“You always have to stay calm” - Ferrari boss calls for more patience after the F1 Monaco GP

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have frequently complained that the SF-23 is tricky to drive. However, team principal Fred Vasseur reckoned that the drivers are exaggerating the situation.

Vasseur based his arguments on the fact that Leclerc qualified only 0.106s behind polesitter Max Verstappen in the Monaco GP. He added that the driver's comments made after the qualifying session vary from that in the debrief session.

Ahead of the Spanish GP, Fred Vasseur said to the media (via Autosport):

"You have always got to stay calm. If the car was so difficult to drive, I can't imagine that we could be 0.1s off Verstappen. Sometimes you are jumping on the drivers five minutes after qualifying."

"I can understand perfectly their frustration but the comments that they are making half an hour after are a bit different," he added.

Ferrari SF-23 in the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco.

With a decent single-lap pace, Vasseur stated that the team is now focussing on improving the 'consistency' of the car. He added that there was a small improvement with the upgrades introduced in Miami but added that they have not solved the problem.

"If we are suffering on something, it is consistency over the lap, over the race or from corner to corner," Vasseur stated. "It's where we have to improve but mainly for the race. We are working on it. I think we made a decent step forward but it's true that Miami, we were a bit inconsistent."

"But we are performing on something," he added. "The first stint of Carlos [in Monaco] was a very good one. It means that we have to understand this and come back stronger. But it's not that we are out of the pace."

Despite the good qualifying pace, Leclerc's weekend in Monaco was scarred by a three-place grid penalty for blocking Lando Norris in the qualifying session. The Monegasque managed a sixth-place finish in his home race.

Carlos Sainz's weekend spiraled downwards in the race as he had to settle for an eighth-place finish.

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Charles Leclerc cautious of Ferrari's upgrades in Barcelona

Heading into the Spanish GP, many sources have reported that Ferrari is set to introduce a raft of upgrades including a revised sidepod concept similar to Red Bull's design.

With the upgrades making the headlines, Charles Leclerc has exercised caution admitting that there won't be a 'massive change' in the results. He said to the media on Thursday:

"We are not expecting any big miracles, to be honest. From now on, we want to try and bring some small upgrades every race. This one should go in the right direction. But I don't think it will be a massive change."

Leclerc added that the upgrades will resolve the 'peaky' behavior of the car, and improve consistency over the weekend.

"This should help us to not gain that much performance, but to at least be a bit more consistent throughout the weekend," he added. "That hopefully will help us to have a better result on Sunday."

Ferrari currently occupies fourth place in the constructors' standings, trailing Mercedes by 29 points.