F1 News: Ferrari Chief Confirms There Will Be No Number One Driver In 2023 Season
Fred Vasseur, who became the Ferrari team principal on 9th January, has revealed in a pre-season press conference that there will no number one driver for the team in the upcoming season.
The Maranello team saw an improvement in 2022 from the previous two years, however, did suffer from power unit issues and countless strategical errors. Vasseur is sure to have been given the task of turning things around for 2023.
Charles Leclerc started off the year strong getting the first pole position and win at the Bahrain Grand Prix, but bore the brunt of many of the strategical issues towards the end of the year. Despite this, the Monegasque still came second in the drivers' championship. Whereas, Carlos Sainz came fifth in the championship.
Vasseur has previously worked with Leclerc when the young driver was in his karting days and in his F1 debut with Sauber. During a press conference with media, Vasseur explained that there will not be a number one driver for the team in the upcoming season, so the French team principal was asked if his prior relationship with Leclerc was a deciding factor in this. He responded:
“I know Charles from Go-karts, 12 years ago, since he was more or less 12 years old, and it’s certainly easier to manage a person I’ve known for longer than someone I’ve known.
“But I don’t think this helped me get into Ferrari. I’m not here to put Charles in the best position to win, but to put Ferrari in the best position to win.
“The goal is not to win with Charles or with Carlos, but to win. The only number 1 is Ferrari.
“We are able to deliver an identical car to both drivers, and we will push like hell to try and win the World Championships.
“If then, during the season, there will be the conditions whereby one of the two will have more chances of winning than another, then he will become the number 1.”