Fred Vasseur reveals tyre management was an issue for Ferrari at Miami Grand Prix

While seven-time Formula 1 Champion Lewis Hamilton was anonymous all weekend in Miami, Charles Leclerc flirted with the top positions all weekend but ultimately failed to make an impression when it mattered.

He was fourth fastest in Sprint Qualifying and finished the Sprint Race in third. In qualifying he was third fastest; he then faded in the race after early strong pace, also keeping in mind that spin at the end of the race trying to retake a position he lost to McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

That meant the Monegasque was slapped with a penalty for driving his car in an unsafe manner, which dropped him to eighth after a podium was a possibility.

Reflecting on the race, Vasseur said: "It's a mega tough Sunday. I think that the weekend went pretty well until the race.

"Lap 1 we lost part of the front bargeboard with Lewis, and it was almost the end of the race. Charles, we are fighting for P3; we can also see the good side of this, and he could have parked the car at Turn 4 [after the spin], but it's tough.

"I think he got the car a little bit on the kerb. He was pushing to try and keep in contact with Piastri for the last lap," he commented on Leclerc's error.

With Ferrari's performance oscillating all weekend, Vasseur explained: "It was the story from the beginning of the weekend about tyre management, tyre temperature.

"As soon as you are in a good position, the pace is there. It was true for us, but it was true for everybody with a big swing of performance, and it's quite easy to overheat and to go on the other side.

"It's true that the first stint went very well. Then we had the Safety Car, we packed everybody together, then it's a lot about energy management.

"You had two phases in the race, the first one when we are in free air with the good pace, and then when we had the Safety Car, it allowed everybody to come back, and it was much more difficult," the Frenchman concluded. (Source: F1 TV)