Ferrari has promised to accelerate its development programme for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after a difficult weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku left the team searching for answers. Team principal Fred Vasseur has pledged that fresh upgrades will be brought to the car as soon as possible in response to the team's struggles on the streets of Baku.

The result in Azerbaijan has added further pressure on Ferrari, who continue to work toward closing the gap to the sport's front-runners. Both Hamilton and Leclerc found themselves unable to match the pace of their rivals during the race weekend, prompting Vasseur to reiterate the team's commitment to pushing development forward at speed rather than waiting for a later point in the season to introduce changes.

Ferrari's pledge comes amid growing scrutiny of the team's competitiveness, with Hamilton and Leclerc both needing a car capable of fighting consistently at the top of the field. The Baku weekend has been described as a "beatdown" for the Scuderia, underlining just how far adrift the team appeared compared to its targets heading into the event.

Vasseur's promise to expedite upgrades reflects the urgency within Ferrari's garage to address the shortfalls exposed in Azerbaijan. Rather than treating the setback as an isolated incident, the team principal has signalled that improvements to the car will be fast-tracked so that Hamilton and Leclerc are better equipped heading into the coming races.

For Hamilton, who joined Ferrari with ambitions of fighting for championships, a result like Baku underscores the scale of the challenge still facing the team as it tries to build a package capable of consistently challenging at the front. Leclerc, long seen as the team's benchmark driver, will also be hoping that any new parts arrive in time to make a tangible difference rather than being delayed into irrelevance.

Ferrari's history of promising rapid upgrades carries its own weight of expectation, with fans and pundits alike watching closely to see whether the team can turn its words into on-track performance. Vasseur's comments following the Baku weekend suggest the team is acutely aware of the urgency, with both of its drivers needing support from the garage if they are to recover ground lost in Azerbaijan and keep pace with their rivals in the remainder of the season.

Source: GPFans

Still catching up? Start with Mercedes Ends Ferrari's Long Reign as F1's Winningest Engine Manufacturer