‘Binotto was more of a fan of Carlos Sainz,’ Ralf Schumacher feels that the arrival of Frederic Vasseur spells good things for Charles Leclerc at Ferrari
Follow Us
Frederic Vasseur (L) and Charles Leclerc (R)
When rumours of Mattia Binotto’s sacking emerged, Frederic Vasseur was immediately tipped as the frontrunner. When asked by the media to comment on that, his response was rather coy, and would certainly not have assuaged his fears. While both Ferrari and Binotto dismissed the rumours earlier, it was announced towards the end of November that Binotto had handed in his resignation.
Binotto apparently resigned due to a ‘lack of confidence’ from the higher-ups; in particular from Chairman John Elkann. Whatever may have been the case, on the 13th, Ferrari announced that they had appointed Vasseur as the team principal. It’ll be interesting to see how big a step the Italians can take next year under the Frenchman. Binotto was a brilliant engineer/technician, but by popular opinion, his management left a little to be desired.
As per Planet F1, Ralf Schumacher believes that Vasseur is the right man for the job: “This approach and his leadership are what we need to push Ferrari forward with renewed energy.” while there is incredible pressure to deliver at Ferrari, the Sky Deutschland pundit thinks the Frenchman can handle it: “He has a broad back, is financially absolutely independent and hard-nosed with his decisions.”
Moreover, the former Williams man also thinks that there will be more people from Sauber joining Vasseur at Ferrari, and the new team boss of the Prancing Horses will certainly bring in some ‘confidants’ from his old team. But this move is also significant for another reason: Vasseur and Charles Leclerc have a good relationship, from their time together at Sauber and in the junior categories.
Ralf Schumacher: Charles Leclerc ‘suffered’ a bit due to Mattia Binotto being ‘more of a fan’ of Carlos Sainz
Charles Leclerc and Mattia Binotto were rumoured to have a ‘disturbed’ relationship at Ferrari – the team principal wagging his finger at the Monegasque comes to mind for this. While Leclerc isn’t thought to be behind Binotto’s departure, Frederic Vasseur’s appointment as the team principal should also help improve the relationship between Leclerc and Ferrari – and possibly ensure he doesn’t look for a move away.
Vasseur is said to be a proponent of the first-and-second-driver arrangement, unlike Binotto, under who Ferrari seemed hesitant to give out team orders – which hurt Leclerc’s race, particularly in Silverstone. While his teammate won the race, Leclerc only managed a P4 after getting the short end of the stick on strategy. If Leclerc can outperform Carlos Sainz early next season, that should mean good things for his championship charge.
Ralf Schumacher feels that Binotto was more of a fan of Sainz. On the other hand, Vasseur previously worked with Leclerc and the Monegasque has already given a sort of ‘vote of confidence’ in him. Schumacher said: “Binotto was more of a fan of Carlos Sainz, whom he also brought in. Charles Leclerc also suffered a bit from this.”
In 2023, regardless of whether Ferrari win the title or not – which they probably need to in order to release the pressure piling on them, they must show a better version of themselves. Apart from fixing the engine’s reliability and the various issues with the car itself, they must also improve the race weekend execution, which proved to be their Achilles’ heel in 2022. Vasseur must try and stop any strategic disasters from taking place.
Also Read: Charles Leclerc reveals Mattia Binotto gesture before resigning as Ferrari team principal
Stay Updated!
Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)