The Cavallino will begin the World Cup without predefined hierarchies. Then the track will decide who to support over the season
Two tips are better than one? Frederic Vasseur’s response leaves little space to conjecture. For the Ferrari team principal, having two pilots both able to win is an advantage for the team. He said it when he was talking about the internal competition between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in their four years of coexistence in Maranello and repeated it now referring to the new pair of axes formed by Monegasco and the seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton. “The emulation between the pilots is in my opinion one of the key factors of the competitiveness of a team,” explained Vasseur underlining the importance that they go to each other, despite respect for Ferrari’s upper interest.
Hamilton-Leclerc relationships
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The arrival of Hamilton from Mercedes will certainly be a further sting for Leclerc, who had to battle a lot already with Sainz. But the dynamics of the relationship between Lewis and Charles will certainly be different than those that were between Charles and Carlos, closer as age and also as “status” in F.1. Hamilton’s entry into the team, with his charisma, his experience and his many titles, changes the balance. And only time can say how Leclerc will react to the situation. It is clear that the predestined can no longer claim the role of leader of Ferrari, given that there is now Lewis, and will therefore have to win it on the sound of results, first of all overcoming his teammate. A great challenge, a great motivation and also a big risk. While Hamilton has nothing to demonstrate: his only goal is to win the world eighth, the fact that Leclerc must beat as a result.
Number one
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In any case, Vassuer, a sailed manager and deep connoisseur of the pilots, ensures that he can manage the new couple. “There were moments (tension; editor’s note) also between Charles and Carlos, as in Monza in 2023 and Las Vegas last year, but in the end they benefited from it. Between Lewis and Charles there is great respect – said the Team Principal – and they talked about how it would be running together for months, so I’m not worried “. He also added: “fight for the first and second place would be a nice problem to face, rather than finding back”. The Cavallino will start with two potential number one, without predefined hierarchies, and then the track will decide who to support over the season.
Ferrari philosophy
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The first races of the F1 World Championship, which starts on March 16 from Australia, will make it clear if the splendid “toy” of Vasseur will work at its best. It is not at all obvious, if you think of the sparks that were there when Leclerc at 21 was promoted to the Red and found himself competing with the captain four times world champion Sebastian Vettel. The couple broke out in the Brazil GP 2019 and the following year the Benservito was given. Now the market blow of President John Elkann, who wanted Hamilton as very champion and global symbol of F.1, creates the conditions for another potentially explosive dualism. If we look at the story, it has been a philosophy that Ferrari has adopted many other times in the past: Lauda and Regazzoni, Scheckter and Villeneuve, Prost and Manell. But then there was the era of Michael Schumacher, with Jean Todt at the command bridge, in which the team focused all around the top pilot. And the fruit were five consecutive titles.
McLaren and Red Bull
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The two -pointed Ferrari attack has some similarities with what happens to McLaren with Lando Norris and Oscar Plastri. While Red Bull is marked by the Schumi model, rotating all efforts around Max Verstappen, almost undisputed winner of the last four World Cup. The Dutchman regularly ground his teammates, including the impalpable Sergio Perez of the last seasons. And when there was the possibility to support him a more competitive pilot, it didn’t happen. Take the example of Sainz, who was free on the market last year and had to fall back on the choice Williams. In the Red Bull home they adopted this approach after the failure of coexistence between Max and Daniel Ricciardo in the previous seasons. So far the victories have given reason to Milton Keynes’ team. Ferrari will try to deny them.
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