Vasseur: Shanghai will give us the opportunity to turn the page

Ferrari were woeful at the 2025 Formula 1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix when most thought they would be in the mix at the front on the evidence of Bahrain F1 Testing and even up to FP3 in Melbourne where the Red cars looked reasonable.

But in the afternoon, under bright Albert Park sunshine, Formula 1's best qualifiers both off the pace, flopped in Qualifying, ending P7 and P8; Leclerc over 0,659s down on the Lando Norris' pole-winning time with Hamilton 0.877s adrift.

On Sunday, in vastly different conditions where opportunities knocked every lap, they were largely anonymous in the race. Apart from a surprise but brief cameo from Hamilton, leading Leclerc on Lap 46 but it was an anomaly. The 'glory' lasted a lap, as the pair were also left exposed by dubious tactics that the Ferrari pit wall conjured on a day to forget for the Scuderia and their Tifosi.

Turning that page, now they have China, with just one hour of practice, before the Sprint Qualifying, pre-event simulation work has taken on added significance for teams. Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur acknowledged the challenge but insisted the Scuderia is well-prepared for this one. They certainly weren't in Melbourne.

In the Ferrari preview of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, Vasseur said: “It’s good that we are back on track just a few days after racing in Australia, as Shanghai will give us the opportunity to turn the page and move on immediately.

"The track has completely different characteristics to Albert Park and with this being the first Sprint weekend of the season, it also means there are more points up for grabs.

“From a technical point of view, the work we have carried out in the Maranello simulator for this event takes on even greater importance, as we only have one hour of free practice, during which one of the tasks will be to get an initial idea of the track surface, which has been completely renewed for this year.

“Charles and Lewis both like the Shanghai track, and we must ensure we do everything we can to allow them to get the most out of the SF-25," ventured the Vasseur, in his second season as Ferrari team boss.

With Ferrari aiming to capitalise on the added Sprint points, the team will be looking to make a strong start in China as the early F1 championship battle continues to take shape, and they are not at the sharp end. They are behind Sauber!