New Scuderia Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has confirmed that the Italian side will start the 2023 Formula 1 season with no ‘number one’ driver, but at the same time the ex-Alfa Romeo team principal pointed out the fact that he is ready to prioritise one driver in case a championship-winning opportunity arrives next season.
The Frenchman has been given the difficult task of leading the Ferrari Racing Division after Mattia Binotto handed in his resignation at the end of the previous championship. Fred Vasseur now has to confirm the high expectations as Ferrari need to mount a championship challenge against Red Bull and Mercedes in the 2023 F1 campaign.
The Maranello team had a great start to the previous F1 season, with Charles Leclerc securing two race wins after the first three rounds, which gave him an early championship lead. However, everything gradually slipped away for Scuderia Ferrari due to a combination of power unit reliability issues, poor strategic decisions from the Maranello team and some problems with operational procedures. However, during the 2022 season, Charles Leclerc was the faster driver, winning the internal battle with his Maranello teammate Carlos Sainz.
Given the fact that Scuderia Ferrari has historically favoured having a ‘number one’ driver with the goal of prioritising its chances in the Drivers’ Championship, many fans and part of the media believed that the Italian team would consider favouring Charles Leclerc in 2023. Yet Fred Vasseur wanted to point out that this is not the case, and confirmed that both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will start the championship with equal opportunity unless and will be free to race for the best possible result, unless the French manager is required to “take action”.
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“I think it’s the same everywhere that we have two very good drivers and both of them are able to do the job,” Fred Vasseur said in a recent interview for the media, which was one of his first official appearance after starting his new role in Maranello – “We will have the capacity to provide them with exactly the same car and the same structure and the same support. What is clear is that the target is to win with Ferrari, there will be no number one or number two. But if at one stage we have to take action, I will take action. It doesn’t matter if it’s one or the other but, if at one stage in the season I have to do something, then I will do it.” – Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur explained.
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