Speculation surrounding Ferrari’s interest in signing Alex Albon after Carlos Sainz’s contract expires at the end of next year has been dismissed by team principal Frederic Vasseur.
Vasseur, who has a close relationship with Albon from their time together at ART in GP3 and Formula 2, believes the Thai driver is content at Williams and emphasised Ferrari’s commitment to their current driver lineup.
Addressing the Albon rumours in an interview with Motorsport.com’s Italian edition, Vasseur expressed his confusion regarding the origins of the story.
He stated, “I don’t know where this story came from.
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“I’ve run Albon in the past, and we’re friends.
“If a reporter asks me if Alex is currently doing a good job, I would say yes.
“But that doesn’t mean I’m interested in taking him.
“I think Alex also has a contract with Williams for 2024.
“The team is investing a lot, so there is no problem.”
Vasseur has consistently emphasised his focus on understanding the Ferrari team dynamics before delving into driver contracts, particularly considering Sainz and Charles Leclerc have agreements in place until the end of 2024.
He stated, “I was clear with the team at the beginning of the season, and I was also clear with the drivers, that I need to get to know the team first.
“And it takes months. They still have a one-year contract, so I don’t think it’s an issue that needs to be discussed now.
“We’ll certainly talk about it in the future, but it’s not the first concern.
“The priority, for everyone, is to focus on the team, especially this season.
“I don’t want there to be any distracting elements.”
Vasseur highlighted the compatibility between Sainz and Leclerc, both on and off the track, despite their different approaches to Formula 1.
Regarding Leclerc, Vasseur acknowledged his exceptional talent but noted that his eagerness to win sometimes led to over-driving and mistakes.
He said, “Leclerc is capable of exceptional things. Sometimes he does things that you don’t know where he got them from…
“He tries to compensate for the shortcomings with strategy, with being aggressive, and with the risk of making mistakes.
“My job is to direct him in the right way.
“When we have a car that is capable of taking second place, we have to take pride of place there.
“Of course, it’s also right to look at what happens in front.”
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Assessing Sainz’s performances, Vasseur praised the Spaniard’s consistency and ability to manage his pace effectively.
He stated, “Carlos is very consistent.
“He is able to manage his own pace and does it a little better than Charles… He limits the bad mistakes and he’s always there.”