F1: No contract talks with Ferrari drivers yet

(GMM) Frederic Vasseur says he is yet to give any thought as to what Ferrari’s driver lineup will be beyond 2024.

Currently, it is believed both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have firm deals through to the end of next year.

“I joined Ferrari two weeks ago,” laughed Vasseur, Ferrari’s newly installed team principal, as he met with international journalists at Maranello and was asked specifically about Leclerc’s contract.

“I think we still have many months of contract with Charles ahead of us, so I don’t want to put this issue on the table today.

“I don’t think it’s the priority right now. We have a good relationship, and we’ll have time to talk, but first we have to be focused on our performance and getting results.”

Another topic raised by journalists was recent reports suggesting Ferrari had managed to find an additional 30 horsepower in its power unit for 2023.

“I don’t know where these sorts of numbers come from,” Frenchman Vasseur insisted.

“Last year, engine performance was not the problem – it was reliability,” he added. “It seems to be fine now, but reliability on the track is another thing because the problems can come from vibrations and many other things.

“We will have a clearer picture in Bahrain.”

And once the testing and racing gets underway in 2023, the comparisons between Vasseur and fellow Frenchman Jean Todt’s highly successful reign as team boss are likely to begin.

“I’ve already heard a couple of comments like that,” Vasseur said.

“You can’t compare what happened back then,” he added. “Formula 1 is constantly changing, for example with the regulations or the cost cap.

“I have exchanged ideas with Jean via Whatsapp and we will meet soon too. Any advice is welcome.

“But you cannot compare 1994 or 1995 with now.”