“Carlos Sainz Doesn’t Lack Anything”: Fred Vasseur Refuses to Have Charles Leclerc as Ferrari’s Main Championship Contender

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s start to the 2023 season have not gone according to plan. After their dismal end to the previous campaign, the majority of the fans and media expected Ferrari to bounce back strongly.

Unfortunately, their start to the 2023 season has been disastrous. They are currently fourth in the constructors’ championship behind Red Bull, Aston Martin, and Mercedes, and one driver who has struggled particularly is Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc was set for a podium finish in Bahrain, but his power unit failure forced him to retire. In the next race in Saudi Arabia, Ferrari’s SF-23 looked woefully slow, which allowed the Monegasque driver to finish only seventh. To make matters worse for Leclerc, his teammate Sainz has had a better haul of points up until now.

Of course, Leclerc’s DNF in Bahrain is a huge reason behind Sainz being ahead of Leclerc currently, but even in Jeddah, the Madrid-born driver finished in front of him.

Vasseur explains dynamic between Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc

One of the main reasons why Ferrari struggled in 2022 was their reluctance to choose a number one driver. According to many, this was a huge factor in Mattia Binotto’s removal from the team, but as things stand Fred Vasseur is following the same ideology.

Even though Leclerc is labeled as a ‘generational talent’, Vasseur won’t consider him to be the number one driver at Ferrari. This is because he does not think Sainz lacks in anything. He wants to use the abilities of both his drivers to make sure they put up a strong championship challenge to their rivals.

“We have two strong drivers who can score points, make podiums and win races,” Vasseur said to AS. “And we have to use it as a resource. We can push fully with both. Carlos does not lack anything. We don’t have to start saying if he is missing there or there.

Ferrari looking to bounce back in Melbourne

The third round of the 2023 F1 season will see the teams and drivers head to Albert Park for the Australian GP. After their horror-show in Jeddah last week, they will be looking to find some momentum in Melbourne.

Red Bull, who have been dominant up until now, are expected to continue with their title push by winning the next race too. Behind the Milton-Keynes-based outfit, however, the tussle could get interesting if Aston Martin, Mercedes and Ferrari head into the race, close in terms of performance.