Fred Vasseur Explains Curious Timing Behind Lewis Hamilton Masterstroke That Left Carlos Sainz Jobless

“As you can imagine, it was not the easiest call of my life,” said Frederic Vasseur, explaining his feelings after he informed Carlos Sainz of his sudden sacking in favor of Lewis Hamilton. Carlos, who often said his destiny is red, found himself jobless even before 2024’s official silly season began. But what was the reason behind announcing this even before the season started?

Frederic Vasseur has awakened the Ferrari dream once again. He has been triumphant in executing his vision and having signed the most successful drivers of all time; he seems to be inching towards the ultimate aim. But what was the price for this? A team that hasn’t won a championship in 17 years had to sacrifice a talented Sainz (who still doesn’t have a seat) to bring in an even more talented Hamilton. That is just how brutal F1 is. However, what’s worth noting is how Vasseur timed the announcement curiously. According to Lequipe, on being asked about the rationale behind the announcement even before the season kicked off, he said, “It was my choice. I didn’t want to have to discuss that during the season. It was a hard pill to swallow, but it gave him time to turn around and for us, it was easier to manage.” 

He further explained, adding, “Because if we have a chance of beating Red Bull – if Checo (Sergio Perez) ever breaks down like he already did two or three times – I need two cars that score the same number of points. However, part of the current performance comes from their emulation. Such management is always on the line, but it is essential to performance, so I take responsibility for it. Even though I know that the day we hang on, I’m going to take a beating.” 

But can the man, who seems to have everything planned with one masterstroke after the other, assure a title? Not really!

Fred Vasseur cannot assure an 8th WDC win for Lewis Hamilton

It is no secret that Red Bull has won this era of regulations establishing historic dominance over other teams. The others seem to be just counting the days when they can build new cars and engines to have a go at the championship. With Newey out of the Red Bull equation and budget cap in place, it might be a fair fight. With these hopes, all players have begun building their teams. From Audi coming to Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari bet, it is going to be a Hollywoodesque showdown. But is there any guarantee for these gambles? Fred Vasseur, who poached Lewis Hamilton, shed light on the unpredictable future.

Fred said, “We talked about the project at length and back, but there can be no guarantees because no one knows if the Mercedes engine will be better than the Audi or another… The best guarantee for a driver is to say to oneself that it is legitimate for Ferrari to put everything in place to win. Given the passion, given that we haven’t won in too many years, if there are efforts to be made, we will do them!”

While the team members are sceptical, what do you think of Lewis’ Ferrari stint?