Fred Vasseur’s indirect reply to the Spanish press regarding Carlos Sainz
“The Ferrari team favors Charles Leclerc over Carlos Sainz.” The Spanish newspapers have abandoned ambiguity: after the Maranello pit wall’s decision to maintain the positions in Canada and Austria, keeping Charles Leclerc ahead, the Iberian press erupted yesterday at the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest when Ferrari did not let the Spaniard pass during the first stint, as he was on soft tires and a different strategy.
Furthermore, during the second pit stop, they stopped Carlos Sainz after Charles Leclerc, allowing the Monegasque to perform the undercut.
According to team principal Frederic Vasseur, however, there is no need for any controversy, as Ferrari only sought to protect the collective result, wasting as little time as possible on the track.
Fred Vasseur’s comments
“It was the best way to protect the team’s result. Considering that Carlos had to start on soft tires and looking at the tire wear, Charles had the potential to finish 20 seconds ahead at the end of the race. That means the decision was right. Before making the call, however, no one can predict if there will be a problem with the gun or a penalty. It’s always easy to review the race after the checkered flag.” – the French manager pointed out.
“The weekend was strongly influenced by the sixth and eleventh place in qualifying. Starting from eleventh, we had to take risks at the start, going with the soft tires. It was a good choice, but we also knew that afterward, we would have to switch to two sets of hard tires, and it was difficult. As for Charles, the race was better. The pace was there, but the result was affected by the penalty and the problem with the tire change gun, losing eight seconds plus those due to traffic. We could have finished fifth. There is a feeling of a missed opportunity.” – the Ferrari boss continued.
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The Contract Expiring in 2024
After the race, which saw him finish in eighth place, Carlos Sainz did not want to engage in major controversies, although he provided an assist to the Spanish newspapers by talking about Scuderia Ferrari’s decision as a way to compensate Charles Leclerc for the slow first pit stop. The Monegasque driver lost about seven seconds due to a defective gun, returning to the track behind Lance Stroll and his teammate. Despite maintaining a professional attitude, it is possible that Carlos Sainz feels somewhat uneasy about the contract renewal. The agreement expires at the end of the 2024 Formula One campaign, just like Charles Leclerc’s, but the last few races could weigh on a decision he has postponed until winter.
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