Fred Vasseur: "Charles Leclerc was never arrogant, he pushed me to sign Lewis Hamilton"
10/13/2024 09:25 AM
A few days ago, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur and Charles Leclerc were among the main figures at the Festival dello Sport in Italy. The French manager spoke about the team's current form, but above all, about managing the drivers and the negotiations with Lewis Hamilton in the early weeks of this year. In terms of the standings, the Monegasque driver will have the task of defending third place in the championship from Oscar Piastri's challenge, while Red Bull could be within reach for Ferrari if the upgrades scheduled for the United States Grand Prix in Austin don't work perfectly.
After the break, Ferrari will have six races and three Sprints to add to this year's achievements: “We're in a great moment of form, with many podiums. There are six races left, everything is still possible.”
Fred Vasseur: “The relationship between drivers is important, the environment is crucial for results”
First, the French manager spoke about his relationship with Charles Leclerc, with whom he also worked at Sauber in the 2018 Formula One campaign. “He's never been arrogant, but always works hard. Sometimes he has made mistakes, but that's part of his growth process.” It's no longer a secret that the Monegasque was informed about the negotiations with Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc welcomed the challenge: “Charles was always on board, and that pushed me to make it happen. It's important to have a common vision; of course, you can't expect drivers to be friends, but they must push in the same direction. It's important to have an intelligent driver.” – he explained.
It will be up to Ferrari to manage behind the scenes what will be the most competitive line-up on the grid in 2025, and one of the most competitive in Formula 1 history. Fred Vasseur believes that Charles' character helps maintain a healthy relationship with his teammate, whoever it may be: “I think it's essential to have a good relationship, not just talk about understeer or other issues. But this is a passion, and being balanced and having a good environment around you is crucial for good results. And I believe Charles understands this. I also think that competition between drivers helps the team grow, and the one between Carlos and Charles is immense in this regard.” – he explained.
In the negotiations with Lewis Hamilton, the intention was always the same from both sides: to see the number 44 in red before the end of his career, and it was easy to communicate based on this premise: “It wasn't difficult, actually. In some ways, Ferrari has always been on his mind, and now the stars have aligned. But he's coming to win, not for a vacation. And I'm convinced we have everything we need to try.” With the arrival of the seven-time world champion, there's no denying that the pressure shifts even more towards Maranello, which will be responsible for delivering a competitive car for its Drivers' Academy product and for the Briton: “There's definitely a lot of pressure, but it's positive pressure, and all the passion around us is just motivation to do well.” – the Ferrari team principal concluded.
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