Frederic Vasseur has recently sided with Charles Leclerc over Carlos Sainz when it comes to the world championship prowess. The Ferrari boss revealed that he would like to lift the world championship with the Monegasque. It is believed that the statement is not something Sainz would have loved to hear.
Speaking to the media after the 2023 Azerbaijan GP qualification, Vasseur opened up on Leclerc. According to a video published by Ferrari News, the Prancing Horse honcho said, “I want to be world champion with Charles.”
This has come after the 25-year-old earlier stated that he looks forward to winning the world championship with the Italian team. Especially with rumors of a possible Mercedes shift, Leclerc demonstrated loyalty. And he was rewarded with the same. However, Vasseur also mentioned that he wants to work with the Spaniard too, as the team is happy with the drivers it has on the team.
Leclerc and Sainz have consistently demonstrated their skills as team players, but Ferrari has yet to publicly designate either of them as the primary driver. However, recent remarks made by Vasseur about Leclerc have generated widespread interest.
Charles Leclerc claimed his third successive Baku pole
For the third time in his career, the Monegasque driver has claimed pole position at the Azerbaijan GP. This comes after Leclerc bagged the same in the 2021 and 2022 F1 seasons.
The 25-year-old held off mighty charges by the bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to seal his place at the top. He took the pole with 1:40.203 and was 0.188 ahead of the defending champion Verstappen.
POLE KING IS BACK 👑
19th pole position for @Charles_Leclerc 🙌#AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 pic.twitter.com/jZzgu1f1VD
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 28, 2023
The Prancing Horse’s remarkable speed in Baku caught many off guard. As the Italian team has been unable to secure a victory or a podium finish so far in the season, this sudden improvement was a much-needed boost of optimism for fans.
The Monegasque repeated his excellence in Sprint Shootout
Charles Leclerc has maintained his monstrous run of pole position in Baku after running riots in the music world. After claiming the top spot on Friday, the Monegasque continued his domination on Saturday as well.
After fending off two Bulls of Perez and Verstappen yet again, the 25-year-old reigned supreme in a less chaotic Sprint Shootout. This was the first-ever Sprint Shootout in the history of Formula 1.
His teammate Carlos Sainz started the race from P4 and the Sprint from P5. As things stand, Leclerc starts the race from P1. But It’ll be interesting to see if the former Sauber man can keep his momentum going and win his first race of the season.
