New Ferrari team mates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have the freedom to fight each other and have “equal opportunity” this season says their boss Mattia Binotto…
Carlos Sainz joins the Italian side after two years at McLaren to replace Aston Martin-bound four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel alongside Charles, forming Ferrari’s youngest line-up since 1968.
In the past, Scuderia Ferrari have run a number one and number two driver strategy, such as with Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello. sebastian Vettel was their lead driver when Charles Leclerc joined, but the latter’s form led to them switching strategy and letting them race each other freely.
And despite Charles being on a longer term contract, and a rising star at the team, he will not have any preferential treatment compared to Carlos, with Mattia Binotto confirming he will only consider team orders later in the season if only one driver is in a position to achieve their goal.
“There is nothing written in the contract of Charles being the [team] leader. The two will be free to fight on track. It’s important that they are not damaging themselves, that is clear, but I think that they will have equal opportunity, certainly at the start of the season. Our top priority, as I said in the past and will remain, is to optimise the team’s points. So it may be that in some races, it will be important that the two are somehow helping team decisions or accepting team decisions in order to optimise what is the team’s interest. And by doing the team interest I think we are prevailing and we are helping the drivers’ interest as well. Later in the season, if there will be a clear advantage of one driver to the other and that one of the two drivers may achieve an objective which is not possible for the other, I think it will be an open discussion between the two. Then, let’s see how we can eventually help each other but still to the benefit of the team. But optimising the team points is the first priority.” – the Ferrari boss explained.
Scuderia Ferrari endured their worst season in 40 years last term as they ended up a lowly sixth in the constructors’ championship, with Charles – who scored two podiums to Sebastian Vettel’s one – achieving the lion’s share of the points.
Can a revitalised line-up – that will be permitted to go wheel-to-wheel – help improve the Prancing Horse’s fortunes this year? Carlos will certainly be hoping to make a difference, and the Spaniard revealed on Friday that he had started work at Maranello, including getting his first taste of the Ferrari simulator.
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