Ferrari has recently thrown another curveball at the world’s biggest circus when they announced the resignation of Mattia Binotto. The 53-year-old will no longer be Scuderia’s team principal in Formula 1, but his replacement has not yet been announced.
Nevertheless, Charles Leclerc is optimistic that this development will not become too big of a thorn in Ferrari’s side. The young Monegasque believes that, if done right, the transition will be smooth and the on-track performance won’t be affected. And for the sake of Ferrari, we hope it won't, because they have a monumental task ahead if they want to challenge for a title before 2026.
This comes off as odd considering Leclerc has acknowledged Ferrari is a huge team that will take a lot of getting used to for any new person coming in. He has also been quoted as saying, "To be honest, I don't know because, from my own experience, I've never had a team principal change when I was racing for the same team," suggesting his expectations could be inaccurate.
When asked if he will have any input regarding Binotto’s replacement, Ferrari’s star driver was quick to point out that would not be the case, "I won't comment on that. And obviously, it's also not my decision, John and Benedetto are going to take the decision."
With Fred Vasseur being widely regarded as a favorite to get the job, his name naturally popped out in the interview. While Leclerc disclosed nothing about Ferrari’s upcoming decision, he did comment about his relationship with his former boss, hinting he would welcome the Frenchman to the team.
"I've been working with Fred already from the junior categories, where he has believed in me, and then we've always had a good relationship. But apart from that, obviously, this shouldn't influence any of the decisions. He has always been very straightforward, and very honest. And this is something that I liked about Fred. Whether it will be him or not, I don't know. And we'll see hopefully in the in the next few months."
This comes off as odd considering Leclerc has acknowledged Ferrari is a huge team that will take a lot of getting used to for any new person coming in. He has also been quoted as saying, "To be honest, I don't know because, from my own experience, I've never had a team principal change when I was racing for the same team," suggesting his expectations could be inaccurate.
When asked if he will have any input regarding Binotto’s replacement, Ferrari’s star driver was quick to point out that would not be the case, "I won't comment on that. And obviously, it's also not my decision, John and Benedetto are going to take the decision."
With Fred Vasseur being widely regarded as a favorite to get the job, his name naturally popped out in the interview. While Leclerc disclosed nothing about Ferrari’s upcoming decision, he did comment about his relationship with his former boss, hinting he would welcome the Frenchman to the team.
"I've been working with Fred already from the junior categories, where he has believed in me, and then we've always had a good relationship. But apart from that, obviously, this shouldn't influence any of the decisions. He has always been very straightforward, and very honest. And this is something that I liked about Fred. Whether it will be him or not, I don't know. And we'll see hopefully in the in the next few months."