Fred Vasseur, Ferrari’s boss, is confident that having both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on the team won’t cause them to lose points to each other in the upcoming Formula 1 season.
The Italian team is eagerly preparing to welcome Hamilton as Leclerc’s teammate in 2025, aiming for a resurgence to the top of Formula 1. Concerns naturally arise when thinking about having two top-tier drivers on the same team; it raises the question of whether they’ll end up taking points from each other, which could allow a rival team with a clear leader to surge ahead.
However, Vasseur doesn’t see it that way. He believes that having two superstar drivers will actually benefit the team more. “I don’t think so,” Vasseur said when asked about potential conflicts, “because I think you have a kind of mutual benefit into the team, and we are getting probably more points with two drivers than with one and a half.” According to him, this setup is advantageous from a performance perspective. He pointed to the current dynamic between Carlos Sainz and Leclerc, explaining that their competition with each other has been beneficial for the team.
“As soon as one is a step down, the other one is there to get results and he is waking up the first one,” Vasseur elaborated. “It’s been like this if you look from the beginning of last year. I am really convinced that I prefer having two strong ones than not.” Vasseur believes that a team with two top drivers has a higher potential for points than one with just a single standout performer.
Vasseur also praised Carlos Sainz for his professionalism and dedication this season, despite knowing that he won’t be retained by Ferrari beyond the end of the year. “I think he has exactly the same mindset as when we launched the car in February,” Vasseur said. “He knows the situation; he knows that we will split at the end of the season. He is a professional one.” Sainz’s commitment to giving his best until the very end has not gone unnoticed.
According to Vasseur, Sainz took the tough decision in stride and vowed to give it his all until the last corner of the last lap of the season. “He is a mega professional, fully committed and he is doing a great job. I am convinced that it will stay like this until the end of 2024,” he added. Vasseur is pleased with Sainz’s professional and dedicated approach, which he believes will continue unchanged throughout the season.
Ferrari is optimistic about the future with Hamilton and Leclerc as teammates, viewing their partnership as a strategic advantage rather than a potential pitfall. Vasseur’s faith in the mutual benefits of having two strong drivers and the professional dedication of Sainz sets a hopeful tone for the upcoming seasons.
Source: Motorsport
