“Tons of Questions About Charles [Leclerc] No. 1”: Fred Vasseur Clears the Air Around the No.1 Driver Situation at Ferrari

When Frederic Vasseur took over the helm at Ferrari on 9th January 2023, he might have had a lot of questions in mind. He might have been thinking about if there was a number one driver in Ferrari, and if so, would it be Charles Leclerc, a driver he had previously managed during Sauber days?

Fast forward a year. Now Ferrari will have doubts as to who their number one driver would be. Their roster consists of two proven race winners, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, both of whom have been on the team since the 2021 season.

Frederic Vasseur’s policy of no preferential treatment

The French team principal of the Italian team is of the strong opinion that the 2023 season leaves little to no room for questions about the numero uno driver at the Ferrari. The 55-year-old firmly believes that there is anything other than equal treatment being dished out to the drivers. He said, “We showed this season that we have more than equal treatment between the drivers. I remember perfectly that one year ago in the same room, I had tons of questions about Charles number one and Carlos number two and ‘blah blah blah.'”

However, the former Alfa Romeo team principal proved this year with examples that there’s no case of preferential treatment to Charles Leclerc. “We showed on some occasions, I think Singapore was the best example, when Charles agreed to start with Soft to jump Russell and block Russell. When we asked Charles to slow down Russell, he did it. It meant that they did a very good job together.”

Racing for Ferrari is more than just being a number one or a number two driver, according to Vasseur. The equal treatment that the Maranello side showcased resulted in almost equal results as well, with Leclerc marginally beating Sainz by a mere 6 points. “We have two cars, two drivers. One of the good points of the season is that they scored almost the same number of points.”

Read more: ‘FIA Affected My Championship’: Carlos Sainz Hits Back as Las Vegas GP Nightmare Continues to Haunt

Despite powerful performances from the Monegasque and the Spaniard, Ferrari had to settle for a third-place finish in the constructors’ fight, something that they would be hoping to rectify in the 2024 season. With February 13 being revealed as the release date for the SF-24, Ferrari would be hoping for a rocket ship that is capable of bringing the fight to Red Bull.

Ferrari’s cautious optimism for 2024

The Maranello side is quite optimistic about their chances for 2024. According to the drivers, they were able to figure out what caused them a lot of trouble and managed to learn from them and fix it for the upcoming season.

Carlos Sainz, for instance, thinks that the car for next year is the perfect compromise that will enable the team to be faster on all circuits. “I am 100% convinced that we will take a step forward from the next year.” The Spaniard continues, “As we understood our weak points step by step, the factory fully responded.”

However, the reality will only be revealed after the testing in Bahrain, where they will be able to fully understand tire wear under full fuel load, among other things.

Watch This Story | Rich History of F1 Races in Las Vegas Throughout the Years

What do you think of Ferrari’s chances in 2024? Will they increase their winning tally and contend for the championship against Red Bull? Let us know down below.