Ferrari in ‘no rush’ to agree new Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz contracts, says workforce principal Fred Vasseur

Neither Charles Leclerc nor Carlos Sainz have put pen to paper on a brand new Ferrari contract in accordance with workforce boss Frederic Vasseur; 2023 was Vasseur’s first season in command of Ferrari and so they had been the one workforce to say a race victory throughout Purple Bull’s record-breaking marketing campaign

Workforce principal Frederic Vasseur says Ferrari are “not in a rush” to signal new contracts with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Each drivers’ present offers expire on the finish of 2024 with 12 different drivers on the F1 grid additionally having contracts that run out subsequent yr.

However Leclerc has reportedly signed a brand new five-year deal to stick with Ferrari till 2029 in accordance with the Italian media whereas Sainz’s future continues to be not clear.

Vasseur had beforehand mentioned he anticipated the offers to be agreed by the tip of 2023, however is now pointing to rivals Mercedes ready till August earlier this yr to seal an extension with Lewis Hamilton, whose earlier contract had been set to run out on the finish of the yr.

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“We aren’t in a rush to increase the offers however have began discussions. Mercedes did it in August. We aren’t in a rush in any respect,” Vasseur advised Sky Italy.

“This season, I used to be anticipating to do it earlier than the tip of the yr. However the season was an enormous one and we’ve began the dialogue. However, once more, we’re not in a rush.”

Leclerc, who got here via the Ferrari academy earlier than beginning his F1 profession with Sauber, has been on the workforce since 2019. Sainz joined in 2021, having beforehand pushed for Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren.

Vasseur: Essential to not be smug

Ferrari missed out on second place within the 2023 Constructors’ Championship by three factors to Mercedes regardless of Leclerc’s three podiums within the last 4 races.

Sainz took the one non-Purple Bull win of the yr on the Singapore Grand Prix and was simply six factors behind his team-mate within the Drivers’ Championship, the Ferrari duo ending fifth and seventh.

Vasseur, who took over Mattia Binotto as workforce boss at the beginning of the yr, thinks Ferrari “should not be scared to take dangers” after taking a “enormous step ahead” within the second half of the season.

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“I am at all times anxious as a result of it is my job to! Even in case you are solely centered on your self it is necessary to not be smug,” mentioned Vasseur.

“I have been doing this job for six years and it is at all times a superb lesson of humility as a result of you are able to do a superb job one Sunday, then the Sunday after you might be nowhere.

“It is a regular course of. It is to not be anxious…we simply want to enhance all over the place and that is a very powerful message.

“It isn’t that Purple Bull have a magic bullet that places them 4 tenths forward. They’re in all probability higher than us with 10 issues value 4 hundredths. We have to do small steps all over the place and maintain this mindset.”

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Vasseur sees Verstappen because the benchmark

A record-breaking season for Max Verstappen noticed him rating greater than twice as many factors as runner-up Sergio Perez, with Purple Bull 451 factors forward of Mercedes and 454 factors in entrance of Ferrari within the Constructors’ Championship.

Ferrari have not gained a title in F1 since 2008 with Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel failing to turn into world champion with the pink workforce throughout that interval.

In 2022, Leclerc led the early levels of the championship as Ferrari and Purple Bull went head-to-head within the first half of the season. Nonetheless, their title problem rapidly pale away attributable to errors from driver and workforce, plus reliability woes.

Vasseur insists Ferrari’s progress again to the entrance is “all about particulars” and is happy with the perspective of the workforce throughout his first 12 months in cost as they appear to get again on phrases with Purple Bull.

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“For positive he [Verstappen] would be the benchmark. They [Red Bull] had a bonus this season and I am positive they’ll enhance subsequent yr,” added Vasseur.

“However for those who have a look at the final a part of the season I feel we made a step on the technical aspect and we’re a lot nearer to them in qualy and the race.

“Even within the races we may struggle with him and doing this, they’ll in all probability do some extra errors. It is like a snowball. When you make a step ahead, you get extra motivation and the others battle a bit extra. Now we have to take it step-by-step and never think about we will probably be successful each single weekend.”

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