Limited overtakes elevate importance of qualifying, says Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
Fred Vasseur, Ferrari’s team principal, asserts that qualifying will be pivotal in the 2025 Formula 1 season, given the scarcity of overtakes observed thus far. Contrasting the chaotic Australian Grand Prix, where heavy rainfall led to numerous overtakes and a disrupted order, races in China and Japan ended in line with their starting grid positions. The Japanese Grand Prix notably registered just 15 overtakes.
"Qualifying is always crucial in performance," Vasseur commented after the Japanese Grand Prix. "The smaller the gap between cars, the more true that is. Because you are in the group of cars. It's not that you are just one fighting with the guy in front of you. Yes, it will probably be a 'quali' championship."
As the current generation of F1 cars approaches the final year of the regulation cycle, ahead of the major rule changes slated for 2026, car designs and performances are converging. Despite the unpredictable conditions at the Australian Grand Prix, pole sitters have consistently converted their top grid positions into victories. This trend includes Lewis Hamilton's first Ferrari win in the China sprint from pole position and Max Verstappen's Japanese Grand Prix triumph, praised as "magical" by Fernando Alonso.
Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and reigning champion Verstappen, the season’s grand prix winners, stood on the podium at Suzuka. Norris suggested a Mercedes driver could have joined them had George Russell fared better in qualifying.
"I think we're the three who are the most consistent at the minute and putting in the times in quali and putting the good races in," Norris said, referring to himself, teammate Piastri, and Verstappen. He speculated that Russell might have won if he had started from pole, underscoring the critical role qualifying plays in race success.
In summary, qualifying sessions are increasingly defining race outcomes in the 2025 F1 season, as emphasized by Vasseur and reinforced by the performances of top drivers.
Up Next
