Speaking at Ferrari’s Christmas lunch with media outlets last week, Fred Vasseur talked about the season of Carlos Sainz.
The Spanish driver finished P7 in the Drivers’ Championship after losing three spots at the final round in Abu Dhabi following a lacklustre weekend that included a crash in FP2.
However, the 29-year-old had plenty of highs. Poles at Monza and Singapore were highlights, as was the podium at the Italian GP.
But his greatest moment of the season came in Singapore on race day. He took a brilliant victory from Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. Sainz was the only driver outside of the Red Bull pair to claim a victory in 2023, as Vasseur mentioned.
“We had two drivers who scored almost the same number of points over the season. Carlos was the only one to beat Max. He did some pole positions.”
Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari
Vasseur then talked about the rivalry between Sainz and Leclerc in 2023. Although the Spaniard led his teammate in the standings for most of the season, Leclerc pipped him at the post in Abu Dhabi despite some terrible luck throughout the campaign.
The Frenchman was delighted at how the pair worked together during the year. Even after a battle that was right on the limit at Monza, they had open conversations.
“We had emulation [rivalry] in the team and it was always correct and always a good one. Even sometimes when we were a bit on the edge, they were able to have a very very open discussion. I really appreciate this part of the season and this collaboration.
“He [Sainz] did a very good season. Nobody is complaining.”
Ferrari lost out in the Constructors’ Championship to Mercedes by 3 points at the end of a 22-race season. Vasseur refused to blame Sainz’s unusually below par weekend in Abu Dhabi as the reason.
The Scuderia’s team principal focused on Miami, Barcelona and Zandvoort instead. The Spaniard was an excellent P5 in all three of those races — but the SF-23 was extremely sluggish in race trim as a combination of high tyre wear, the drivers lacking confidence in the car and a fundamental lack of pace hurt them badly.
“It’s not at all at Abu Dhabi that we lost P2. If it’s the question, it’s not for me that we lost something with Carlos in the last race.
“If we lost P2 during the season, for me it’s much more at the beginning of the season, in Zandvoort, in Barcelona and Miami.”
