When Mattia Binotto announced his resignation from his role as Ferrari team principal following a disappointing second half of the 2022 season, the team only ever seemed to have one man in mind to replace the Swiss.
Christian Horner and Andreas Seidl were loosely linked to the role, however it was heavily rumoured that Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur was the number one target for the Scuderia.
After a couple of weeks of negotiations, Vasseur was announced as Ferrari’s new team principal earlier this week, with the Frenchman set to officially join the team when Binotto leaves at the end of the calendar year.
Carlos Sainz shared a strong relationship with Binotto, unlike his teammate Charles Leclerc who was reportedly not even on speaking terms with his boss at the end of the season, due to the Spaniard being hand-picked by the Swiss to replace Sebastian Vettel in 2021.
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The 28-year-old has now spoken out about Vasseur’s appointment for the first time, and has expressed his confidence in Ferrari succeeding under the Frenchman’s leadership.
“I’ve head very good things about him,” claimed Sainz.
“I know him personally, he already wanted to sign me to go to Renault. I spoke to him yesterday, I called him and had my first contact as a Ferrari driver. I know he’s going to do well.”
Some fans have suggested that Vasseur’s appointment could spell bad news for Sainz, as the Frenchman typically prefers to implement a clear number one driver system with his teams, with Leclerc most likely to be preferred.
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Leclerc and Vasseur have worked together previously at Sauber, leading fans to fear for Sainz, as he could end up brushed to the side as a supporting second driver, while the team prioritise his Monegasque teammate’s title challenge.
2022 was somewhat of a breakout year for Sainz, as even though he showed glimpses of quality during his first season with Ferrari, he did not manage to secure his first win in Formula 1 until the British Grand Prix earlier this year.
The former McLaren driver has suggested that it took him longer than expected to adapt to life at Ferrari, however he now feels confident of battling Leclerc on track, meaning that he is unlikely to take the news of becoming a number two driver very well, should Vasseur choose to adopt this system at Ferrari.