Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur insists that the arrival of Lewis Hamilton to the team does not pose a danger that he and Charles Leclerc will begin to steal points from each other and thus reduce the team’s chances of the Formula 1 title.
The Italian team is preparing to integrate Hamilton as Leclerc’s team-mate from 2025 and hopes it will be the start of a new era in which the team from Maranello returns to the top of Formula 1. But having two drivers where there is no clear definition of which driver is first, and which other priority, can lead to the points being split between both drivers – thus opening the door for a rival team with a clear first driver to beat them both.But Vasseur doesn’t see things that way and instead believes there are advantages for the team to have two superstars as two drivers competing against each other. Asked about the possibility of Hamilton and Leclerc potentially interfering with each other, Vasseur said:
“I don’t think so, because I think that as a team you have some kind of mutual benefit, and that with two drivers we probably get more points than with one and a half.”
“This is a positive development from a performance point of view, and part of our result today also comes from the fact that we have a good synergy between Carlos and Charles – that they push each other.”
“As soon as one falls a step down, the other is there to achieve results and wake up the first. If you look, this has been the case since the beginning of last year.”
“I’m really convinced that I’d rather have two strong than not. Of course, you can imagine that two drivers divide the points potential of the team in two.
“But I’m sure that the points potential for a team with two good drivers is much higher than with one and a half. That’s my view.”
Vasseur also praised the way Sainz has approached this season, staying motivated to give his best despite knowing Ferrari will not keep him beyond the end of the year.
“I think he has exactly the same mindset as when we presented the car in February. He knows the situation; knows that we will part ways at the end of the season. He is a professional.”
“The first reaction in February was ‘okay, Fred, it’s a tough decision, but let’s push to the last corner of the last round of the season.'”
“He is a mega professional, completely dedicated and does a great job. I am convinced that it will remain so until the end of 2024.”
“The approach is very professional, very dedicated and I’m really happy with Carlos.”
