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Fred Vasseur pinpoints what boosted Ferrari's morale in Japan
Charles Leclerc's combative and strategic display to fend off George Russell at Formula 1's Japanese Grand Prix is something Ferrari can build on, says its team principal
Filip Cleeren
Published: Apr 6, 2026, 9:38 AM
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Ferrari Formula 1 team boss Fred Vasseur reckons the Scuderia is heading into the April break with a big morale boost after beating one of the dominant Mercedes cars in Japan.
Kimi Antonelli and George Russell had swept the first two races in Australia and China as Mercedes looks to return to its championship winning ways under F1's new regulations. Ferrari has also made a strong start compared to a disappointing 2025 season, but the sizeable gap to Mercedes has made it tough for the demanding tifosi to celebrate too much.
But while Antonelli ran out a dominant victor in Japan to keep Mercedes' win streak intact, Charles Leclerc was able to keep Russell off the podium with a combination of pace and smart energy management.
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After Leclerc took third by half a second over Russell, team principal Vasseur felt that performance was something to build upon heading into the April break.
"It's the third podium in a row. We want to get more, but I think it was a very, very strong drive from Charles at the end with Russell," Vasseur said. "It was important for us to keep Mercedes behind and Russell behind us.
"The last 10 laps, it showed also to everybody at the factory and to the team that we can do it. It means that it's important and it's the best way to prepare for the break.
"It was a good fight overall and he was very clever sometimes to let Russell in front in the last chicane to be able to overtake into Turn 1. He managed this very well with the overtake mode on Russell. We can be happy and he can be proud of what he did today. It was a very, very strong drive."
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Ferrari
Ferrari's morale boost is extra significant because F1 now heads into a month-long break from racing caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. As F1 returns to action in Miami on the first weekend of May, Ferrari and its rivals are expected to brandish significant upgrade packages that could turn the tide.
"We have a lot of work like everybody in the paddock. It is the beginning of the homologation of the car. It means that we have tons of things to improve," Vasseur said.
"Now, we have good data after three races to understand the competitiveness of the car, where we are okay-ish and where we are not. It means that performance is coming from everywhere, but we have to do a step in every single area of the performance. It will be true for everybody on the grid, so it is a matter of doing a better job than the others and to take a step."
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