Since the first stage of an intense programme of upgrades appeared in Austria Lando Norris has secured four second places, while his team-mate Oscar Piastri earned his first podium with third place in Japan last weekend.
While the surge in form has been eye-catching Vasseur believes that McLaren underperformed in races earlier in the season while already showing flashes of good pace over one lap, notably in Spain, where Norris qualified third.
"I'm not sure if we have exactly the same reading of the season,” said Vasseur when asked by Autosport about the MCL60’s pace.
“I think that they had a big issue at the beginning, and then they recovered pretty quickly because, even in Barcelona, they were on the second row.
“I think it was Max [Verstappen], Carlos [Sainz] and then Lando and Lewis [Hamilton] on the second row, they were already competitive.
“And this kind of track is probably suited more with their car than us. But for sure it's not just a matter of pure potential, it's a matter of driveability also.
“Each time you will do a step forward you will also help the driver to do a step forward, and this can be a kind of snowball effect. Still, a small step compared to Red Bull!"
Source: Autosport