Carlos Sainz has given his vote of confidence to Frédéric Vasseur who was announced this week as the new team principal at Ferrari following Mattia Binotto's decision to hand in his resignation.
Sainz said that he hoped Vasseur's arrival from the Sauber-operated Alfa Romeo squad would be an injection of fresh blood that will help reinvigorate Ferrari in 2023.
It follows a frustrating campaign for the Scuderia which started very promisingly but then suffered a series of strategic and technical miscues that helped Red Bull's Max Verstappen to dominate the season.
“Whenever someone new arrives he has extra motivation, wanting to do well for himself and for the team,” Sainz told an Estrella Galicia event in Spain on Wednesday.
But he warned that Vasseur has to be given the opportunity to settle and prove himself in his new role.
©AlfaRomeo
“You have to give him time to see how the team works, know what changes are needed," Sainz stated. "Ferrari is very big and I know it will take time. It doesn't happen from one day to the next.”
Sainz first got to know his new team boss in 2016 when Vasseur led efforts to sign the Spaniard for Renault where he was team principal at the time. Sainz did indeed drive for the team in 2017, but by then Vasseur had moved on to Sauber.
“I've heard very good things about him,” Sainz said. “I know him personally, he already wanted to sign me to go to Renault.
"I spoke to him yesterday, I called him and I had my first contact as a Ferrari driver," he added. “I know he's going to do well.”
While at Sauber, Vasseur gave Charles Leclerc his first break in F1 as a full-time driver in 2018. Even though Leclerc was promptly snapped up by Ferrari the following year, the two are said to have remained good friends.
It's been suggested that Vasseur's recruitment was in part to ensure that Leclerc remains at Ferrari long term, after expressing some concerns in recent months when the team's title challenge suffered a number of setbacks.
That could be bad news for Sainz if part of the new arrangement is to give Leclerc number one driver status in 2023
Despite struggling to get to grips with this year's new ground effect F1-75, Sainz claimed his first Grand Prix win at this year's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Six retirements during the season meant that Sainz finished the season in fifth place in the final driver standings, behind Mercedes' George Russell.
Meanwhile Leclerc won two of the three opening races of the year before Ferrari were overwhelmed by Red Bull. Leclerc did manage to snatch the runners-up spot over Sergio Perez after the the final round at Abu Dhabi.
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