Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur believes that the increase in overtaking during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka is a good thing for everyone in Formula 1.
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The 2025 edition had only 15 overtakes after the first lap, whereas this year, this total was exceeded within the first 16 laps, even before the first pit stops.
Successor to DRS, the “OT” mode for Overtake (photo above) introduced in the new regulations is undoubtedly a factor, even if the artificial aspect of these maneuvers is not unanimously supported.
A criticized spectacle
Despite criticism from some drivers regarding the role of the energy recovery system, Vasseur welcomed a more lively spectacle.
“First of all, I think it’s overall positive for F1, for the championship, for everyone. It was a good show, with many more overtakes than at Suzuka in the past,” he said.
On the sporting side, Ferrari secures a third consecutive podium thanks to Charles Leclerc: “We want more, but it was a very good race from Charles, especially against George Russell. It was important to keep Mercedes behind us. The last ten laps showed the whole team that we are capable of it.”
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Vasseur particularly praised Leclerc’s racing intelligence in his duel with Russell: “He was very clever, notably by sometimes letting Russell pass in the last chicane to better overtake him again at Turn 1. He managed that perfectly with the overtake mode. He can be proud, it was a very strong performance.”
Hamilton off the pace
On the other hand, the race was more complicated for Lewis Hamilton, who dropped from third to sixth place after the safety car.
Vasseur pointed out some limitations of the SF-26: “As soon as you are no longer in the overtake mode window, you lose pace and find yourself in a train of cars. We know we have a performance deficit on the straights and we need to work on that.”
With the unexpected break before Miami approaching, Vasseur insists on the importance of development: “We have a lot of work, like everyone else in the paddock. It’s the start of the car’s homologation, so there are a lot of things to improve. We now have good data after three races to understand where we are competitive and where we need to progress. Performance comes from everywhere. We need to progress in every area. It will be the same for everyone: we just have to do a better job than the others.”
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