Charles Leclerc - Carlos Sainz: Ferrari aims for double renewal

Charles Leclerc – Carlos Sainz: Ferrari aims for double renewal. Ferrari aims for double renewal.

Fred Vasseur doesn’t want a ‘Verstappen-centric’ Ferrari
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, with different dynamics, have both tried to make an impression on Ferrari management – particularly with Team Principal Frederic Vasseur – to initiate discussions about contract renewals, as both are up for renewal in 2024. “I haven’t talked to any team yet, for now,” were Charles Leclerc’s cryptic words in Baku, while Carlos Sainz, in an interview, emphasized that he doesn’t relish the prospect of heading into the winter without certainty about where he will be racing the following year (in this case, 2025).

Frederic Vasseur wanted to clarify his priorities during an undoubtedly busy schedule, and among these, during a critical phase of the season for setting up the 2024 car’s design, were not the renewals of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. “We’ll talk about it in the winter,” the Team Principal of the Prancing Horse had declared, but in reality, the French manager won’t wait so long to begin negotiations with his drivers.

“The contract extensions will be discussed seriously no earlier than the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit (September 24) and then signed in the winter,” reads today’s edition of Il Corriere dello Sport, underscoring Frederic Vasseur’s intention to continue placing trust in the Leclerc-Sainz duo. This partnership combines crystalline single-lap talent (Charles Leclerc) with “extraordinary work capacity” (Carlos Sainz), imitated and observed by his teammate in the garage. Two young, fast drivers who “don’t even cost that much when you look at it,” adds the Rome-based sports daily.

Fred Vasseur doesn’t want Scuderia Ferrari to follow the Red Bull pattern where Max Verstappen is the undisputed leader of the team: “Vasseur has a preference for Charles Leclerc and is immune to the influence of the powerful Sainz clan, but he won’t hand over the keys of the team to Charles as happened with Max Verstappen in Milton Keynes. He wants that when we have a winning car, the track will decide who of the two will have priority in the championship race.” – the French manager explained.