Frédéric Vasseur compares the driving styles of Leclerc and Sainz

After a complicated year in 2022, but full of promises for Ferrari, with a 2nd place in the constructors’ championship and Charles Leclerc finishing as vice-world champion, there was a reason to hope for 2023. However, nothing unfolded as planned.

Red Bull has once again widened the gap, and Aston Martin has made significant progress. On the other hand, Ferrari has regressed. As a result, the prancing horse finds itself in 4th place in the constructors’ championship, trailing Aston Martin by 24 points and Mercedes by 46.

In the drivers’ championship, Carlos Sainz is 5th with 83 points and Charles Leclerc is 7th with 74 points, far from his position as the runner-up in 2022. There has been some bad luck for the Monegasque, as evidenced by the opening round in Bahrain, where he suffered an engine failure while in 3rd place. However, there have also been some mistakes. Frédéric Vasseur compares the driving styles of his two drivers and highlights both the positive and negative aspects.

Charles Leclerc and his aggressive style

Frédéric Vasseur didn’t fail to mention it, Charles Leclerc’s driving style is aggressive. This way of driving suits the Monégasque well, as he manages to create magnificent things thanks to this style. Moreover, in 2023, he is the only non-Red Bull driver to have secured a pole position, in Baku.

That day, he pulled off a perfect lap, almost enough to surpass the Red Bull duo. A performance that once again demonstrates that Charles Leclerc is one of the fastest on a single lap. His boss, Frédéric Vasseur, doesn’t hesitate to praise his driver. « Sometimes, he does things that we don’t know where they come from »,” he declared.

« Charles is a driver who always thinks about winning »

« Charles is a driver who always thinks about winning. Our car is behind Red Bull, but he always tries to win », continued Fred Vasseur. Indeed, if there is one thing that cannot be attributed to Charles Leclerc, it is his determination to win every Grand Prix, even if his Ferrari lacks pace.

However, this often bordering on the edge of control leads to errors. The closer one gets to the limit, the higher the risk of exceeding it. Charles Leclerc has had several incidents to illustrate this point. This year, the Ferrari is not performing at the expected level, and the Monegasque driver wants to do more to achieve the best results. In some cases, it works, like in Azerbaijan, even though he ended up hitting the wall. In other cases, the limit is crossed, like in Miami. During qualifying around the Hard Rock Stadium, Charles Leclerc violently went off track before crashing into the barriers. An illustration of crossing the limit, especially with an unstable car.

« He is trying to compensate for his shortcomings through strategy, aggression, and the willingness to make mistakes,” Vasseur said.

Carlos Sainz Best Manager

On the other side of the garage, Carlos Sainz commits less of these types of errors. The main reason: he rarely pushes the car to its limits like his teammate. So yes, this prevents him from reaching Charles Leclerc’s level in certain exercises, but he won’t risk crashing the car.

« He can control his speed and does it a little better than Charles. He doesn’t overdrive », explained Frédéric Vasseur about Carlos Sainz’s driving. Indeed, the Spanish driver never takes unnecessary risks and ensures consistency, both in qualifying and in the race.

Maybe that’s why he didn’t get a pole position or a podium this year, unlike Charles Leclerc. However, he didn’t crash the car. « He doesn’t have the big peaks like Charles, when he takes pole position, for example, but he’s very close », explained Vasseur before continuing: « In Miami, he was in pole position until the last turn. He limits big mistakes and is always there. »

That’s also why Carlos Sainz has a 9-point lead over his teammate in the championship, even though Leclerc has had some bad luck. The Spanish driver is getting more and more comfortable in the Ferrari this year. He has notably shown great pace in Austria and at Silverstone.

This duo, with these two different styles, is beneficial for the Scuderia. But when Ferrari will be able to compete for the World Championship, Charles Leclerc will need to temper himself more and Carlos Sainz will need to get closer to the limit.