Vasseur expects new Ferrari F1 engine to recover “large part” of power deficit

Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur is expecting Ferrari’s new Formula 1 engine to recover a “large part” of its performance deficit this season.

Ferrari has developed an all-new power unit for 2021 in a bid to claw back performance after carrying a much-publicised power deficit throughout last season following the introduction of a controversial FIA technical directive.

The drop in engine performance had a knock-on effect for Ferrari’s customer teams, Alfa Romeo and Haas, with both suffering a notable slump in competitiveness last season compared to the previous year.

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto revealed at the end of last year that the Italian manufacturer’s new 2021 engine was already delivering “very promising” dyno figures, and speaking at the launch of Alfa Romeo’s 2021 car - the C41 - on Monday, Vasseur appeared equally confident.

"The collaboration with Ferrari is I think going very well," he said. "We had a strong meeting, a long meeting over the winter to cover the points of last year when perhaps we didn't do the perfect job.

"We are on a good path. I think that on their side, they will recover probably a large part of the issue that we had last year, and collaboration is getting better and better.

"We won't be taking some of their car, perhaps one or two elements, but not much more. But I think it's not the key point of the collaboration.

"The key point of the collaboration is to be convinced that we can learn from each other. In the scope of the regulations, we have to play with this, and we have to do the best job that we can do.”

Alfa Romeo is hoping its updated C41 car will help it move further up the order this year after it struggled to eighth place in the constructors’ championship for the third year running in 2020, with Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi only able to bring home a collective total of eight points across the 17-round campaign.

 "I think the philosophy upon which the team is based remains the same,” Vasseur explained. “We have to do a better job tomorrow than we are doing today.

"We finished last season in P8, so we have to target a better result in 2021. To do so, we have to keep improving in each department, trackside, and back at HQ."