Despite Carlos Sainz’s Uncertain Ferrari Future, Fred Vasseur Exemplifies Him for Charles Leclerc & Co.

Carlos Sainz may not have many wins in his name, but whenever he wins, he does so in style. With the only non-Red Bull driver to win a Grand Prix this season, it would come across as shocking that the Ferrari man has no contract extension with the Italian Outfit. But the Maranello leader is nevertheless grateful to Sainz for his odds-defying win at Singapore. However, with speeding McLarens and Mercedes, Fred Vasseur wants to put an end to Ferrari’s dismay.

Charles Leclerc has had a tough year. The Monegasque went from putting up a fight to Max Verstappen in 2022, to be seen nowhere in the top 5 drivers of this year. The Tifosi disappointment is magnanimous. However, spirits were lifted when Carlos Sainz broke the Ferrari losing streak. Wanting to emulate the same in the closing races, Fred Vasseur wants the garage in Scarlett to derive inspiration from the Marina Bay feat.

Expectations running high despite no news of Carlos Sainz’s contract

After the heroics of the Singapore Grand Prix, the light in Carlos Sainz’s garage was relatively dim in Qatar. Failing to make it to Q3 of the qualifying for the Sunday Grid, the Spaniard could not make a start owing to car failures. It was a setback after setback for Ferrari, as Charles Leclerc picked up penalties during the sprint race pushing him down to P12. With Mercedes going elbows out and pulling the last magic tricks, Ferrari’s mistakes are detrimental to their bid for a P2 in the championship. Fred Vasseur, the team boss for the Maranello Outfit, wants to squeeze a Singapore-like weekend going for the US Grand Prix.

According to Formula Passion, Vasseur confessed he wanted to forget the Qatar weekend and move on. He said, “We come from a race in which we paid dearly for a reliability problem on Carlos’ SF-23 and worked to make sure that similar situations no longer prevent us from deploying both cars at the start.”

Alluding to better stats of prior races, Vasseur insisted, “We have to go back to the level we demonstrated in Singapore and Japan, because only in this way can we optimize the performance of our package and put Charles and Carlos in a position to give their best“.

READ MORE: Contradicting Carlos Sainz’s Tall Claims, F1 Champion Shows Ferrari Their Place

However, if Qatar was any testimony to the performance, then no better can be extracted at the Circuit of The Americas. The long central straight and slow corners would be the only respite to Ferrari woes. But as the year wraps up for 2024, the silly season is already knocking at Sainz’s door. With no contract in his pocket, his future is shrouded in mystery.

Where is Carlos Sainz headed?

Carlos Sainz is one of the most underrated drivers on the grid. Put him in any garage and he’ll extract the most out of the predictability of the car. The Spaniard has come a long way. From Ted Kravitz’s ‘Ferrari won, but with a wrong car’ to the ‘tactical brilliance of Sainz’, he knows how to win a race.

Despite putting on a show for the Ferrari home crowd in Monza, the Spaniard has no contract. Apparently, Ferrari has extended the uncertainties of the garage to the future of the Spanish driver. However, it has been rumoured that the Spaniard is taking significant steps in pre-contract signing with Audi. Carlos Sainz might head out of his Monaco home to be closer to a potential German contender for 2026. Sainz is famous for his tactical moves, not just on track but switching teams as well. But, for now, his future at Ferarri remains under a thick blanket.

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But no matter where the Spaniard ends up, he will stay in F1. Any team would be willing to pick up on the royalty of Sainz’s name. Which driver would you want to see paired with Carlos Sainz?