Ferrari Boss Fred Vasseur reveals the reason behind letting Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc race each other at Monza
Fred Vasseur shares his reasoning behind letting Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz race each other.
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Fred Vasseur(Via Imago)
The 2023 Italian GP weekend was crucial for Fred Vasseur and the whole Scuderia. With Ferrari’s factory being situated in Maranello, Italy effectively became the home ground of the Tifosi. Monza being a high-speed circuit, was a bit favorable to Ferrari this weekend, but it just wasn’t enough. With Max Verstappen’s ongoing winning streak, it looked like the same would be repeated this time around.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were under immense pressure from the fans of the Scuderia. While the race result was kind of anticipated, the battles that took place will be remembered for a long time. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were running in 3rd and 4th when Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur didn’t let them finish in the same position. Instead, he opted to let them race each other to the checkered flag. Despite several attempts, Charles was not able to overtake Carlos who eventually ended up finishing third and got to enjoy the Monza podium.
In an interview, Fred Vasseur revealed the reason behind this decision. “I think it was also the best way to thank everybody, the support of the tifosi and so on, and I was not that comfortable to freeze something five laps before the end,” he said. “I trust them, but I told them no risk at all. It’s always relative, and I think that the notion of no risk is relative. But it’s an opinion, and I’m quite proud of the decision, and of the job done by the drivers today,” he continued.
Max Verstappen effectively broke the Monza curse
Ever since 2019, whoever won the Italian GP eventually ended up retiring from next year’s iteration. Charles Leclerc won in 2019 and crashed out in 2020. Same for Pierre Gasly in 2020 and Daniel Ricciardo in 2021. However, Max Verstappen won the Italian GP in 2022 and also went on to win this year. This meant that the Dutchman has broken the curse having also broken Sebastian Vettel’s record for the most consecutive wins.
When it comes to the Ferrari driver’s battle, Carlos Sainz admitted that it was a good and clean one and that he had a bit of fun. Fred’s decision to let both drivers race was well received by the audience and the fans, who got a real kick from their battle for glory. It will be interesting to see if Ferrari can carry this form into the upcoming races.
In case you missed it:
- Max Verstappen goes back on statement about his F1 retirement plans after Lewis Hamilton signs new contract with Mercedes
- Aston Martin team boss defends Lance Stroll following poor performances at the Dutch GP, claims “reliability issues” always affecting the Canadian
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Varad Joshi
(940 Articles Published)