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Image Courtesy: Imago L: Frederic Vasseur, R: Charles Leclerc
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Image Courtesy: Imago L: Frederic Vasseur, R: Charles Leclerc
The golden boy of Ferrari and the man Tifosi loves unconditionally, Charles Leclerc has been on the receiving end of favoritism within the team. After 4 good but turbulent years with the team, his presence demands more attention than his teammate. As the bias towards the Monegasque becomes more evident, Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has shifted the attention to rival teams to get himself a clean chit.
On more than a couple of occasions this year, Carlos Sainz has been the faster Ferrari car. To exploit that, when he asked his team to ask Leclerc ahead of him to swap places, he’s only gotten a rejection. Even in Qualifying at Silverstone, Leclerc was given preference over Sainz to be in cleaner air. As this partiality seems to draw bad publicity, Vasseur has stepped in to blame Red Bull, for some reason.
⚠️ | Fred Vasseur says Red Bull is the only team with a number 1 driver:
"Sainz and Leclerc are on exactly the same level, they are equal… Mercedes treat Hamilton and Russell the same.
"The only team with a first driver is Red Bull."
[@FormulaPassion]— formularacers (@formularacers_) August 13, 2023
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Even for no fault of theirs, Red Bull receives unnecessary criticism, even when it doesn’t concern them. Vasseur said, “Sainz and Leclerc are on exactly the same level, they are equal. Mercedes treat Hamilton and Russell the same. The only team with a first driver is Red Bull.”
Now, this is a unique way of doing damage control. He has brought in an entirely unrelated third party to the conversation to divert attention away from his team’s wrongdoings. And not just that. He’s even highlighted the difference between the 2 RB drivers.
Frederic Vasseur gives frank comments on Red Bull’s “Problem”
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Red Bull has been suffering from the same problem for ages. Their 2nd driver doesn’t have the pace to match up to Max Verstappen. When Vasseur was asked about this much-evident issue in the Milton-Keynes outfit, he dismissed the topic, asking them to solve their own problems.
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Frederic Vasseur FRA, Scuderia Ferrari, F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 7, 2023 in Silverstone, Great Britain. Photo by HOCH ZWEI Silverstone Great Britain *** Frederic Vasseur FRA, Scuderia Ferrari , F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 7, 2023 in Silverstone, Great Britain Photo by HOCH ZWEI Silverstone Great Britain
“When you see the result race by race, there is a lot of difference between the two team-mates,” said Vasseur, as quoted by Express. “But it’s not my problem, it’s Red Bull’s problem.” Looks like the pressure of trying to get to Red Bull’s level is getting the better of Vasseur.
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