Frédéric Vasseur: “Everyone is pumped up”

With encouraging winter tests, and a duo of drivers mixing experience and youth with Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo Racing will arrive in Australia with confidence.

Especially since the car developed by the Hinwil entity seems to satisfy Frédéric Vasseur’s troops. “Our C38 offers very good feedback in terms of correlation (between wind tunnel and track. Editor’s note), afterward there is only one race weekend to realize all that, the French Team Principal told us.

There is a world of difference between testing where you work at your own pace and a Grand Prix with reduced time and the pressure of competition. »

Vasseur, however, does not want to put pressure on his team, which made significant progress in 2018, well led by a Charles Leclerc sparkling for his first year in the discipline.

“I don’t want to set a goal, insists Vasseur. I want us to progress, regardless of our place in the first race. I will be delighted that we start the season where we finished the previous one.

That would be a good platform to build on. We also need to continue to improve the structures of society, this is another area we are working on.

It’s not something visible, but it’s important for the future. Today, the only thing I am sure of is the big progression in terms of confidence. Everyone is pumped up! »

And with a C38 with daring technical choices (notably the front wing), Alfa Romeo Racing could well be one of the big surprises of the opening of the championship in a week in Melbourne.