Hamilton and Leclerc take sides with Vasseur: “He is extremely valuable”
The Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, They have broken a spear in favor of the team director, Fred Vasseurwhich is in the eye of the hurricane due to rumors of the former Red Bull boss, Christian Horner, being linked to that position.
During the Media Day of the Bahrain GP, relocated to the Malaysian Sepang circuit, both drivers expressed their firm support for Vasseur. Leclerc described him as “extremely valuable” and Hamilton gave him his “full support.”
“I have always said how much I trust Fred and how important he is for the team. We have a very special relationship,” Leclerc told the press, denying what he called “absurd rumors” in the paddock. “But, beyond that, I think he is extremely competent in what he does and that so far he has been of great value. He will also be so in the coming years,” said the Monegasque.
“When it comes to managing people – which is precisely what you have to excel at when you are a team manager – he knows what words to use and what conditions to place someone in to get the most out of each individual,” he added.
For its part, Lewis Hamilton He stated that “Fred is a fantastic leader and has all the support. You can see that they have obviously changed a lot of different people into Fred’s role, but Fred is a fantastic leader. He really is the right man to take this team in the right direction.”
“There are also people above Fred and it’s not just one person. Fred has led the team. He’s helped make changes over the last year. He’s helped us get to second place in the constructors’ championship, that’s a huge step up from last year.”
Performance challenges at Ferrari
This show of unity comes at a time when Ferrari faces performance challenges, with both drivers acknowledging a power deficit compared to their rivals and Hamilton being candid about the team’s difficulties. “The deficit we have is simply limited to the engine and it is something we do not hide. We know that every weekend we carry a deficit of four tenths, if not sometimes six tenths, only in power on the straight.”
“We are aware of it and it is something we have to try to work on; they are doing their best to try to solve it for next year,” said the seven-time champion.
For his part, Leclerc concludes that “of course we have a power deficit compared to our rivals, but it is not just reduced to that. In terms of chassis and aerodynamics, the others are catching up to us and have introduced significant improvements recently, which makes them very strong in the corners. We have to improve on all fronts,” he explained.
Ferrari takes action
Ferrari had also taken steps to silence speculation by reiterating its “full confidence” in Vasseur when the rumors gained strength after Horner said that the Italian team is the only one he would consider joining without having a shareholding.
