Ferrari answers Leclerc's 'now or never' F1 near-ultimatum

21:00, 15 Dec

byNorberto Mujica

Ferrari's season has not been one to remember as the team now stands at 4 winn-less campaigns in the last seven years.

Charles Leclerc during F1 post-season testing in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Ferrari media.

And F1 driver Charles Leclerc has been there to experience all the dry spells. In light of this, the Ferrari driver seemed to have given the Scuderia de hurry-up, as the clock continues to tick the seasons away and the team have failed time and time again to deliver title-achieving cars.

When faced with Leclerc's comments Vasseur emphasises the differences between a reaction offered on Thursday ahead of the race weekend, to one delivered after a session.

“Honestly, I think Charles, if you have a look last year, for sure when you are going to the pen and you are asking him after the session, ‘Are you happy with the session when it’s P2?’ or ‘Are you happy when it’s P6?’ It’s not the same Charles, for sure,” Vasseur told GPblog.

“But if you ask him the Thursday after, ‘What do you want to do with the team?’ I think the approach is always the same. It’s always constructive to try to do better."

Pushing forwards is in the DNA of racing

Vasseur then explained that the desire to improve comes irrespectively of the result or the area, in other words, it's a holistic and never-ending approach.

“Even if I’m P1, I have exactly the same approach with the team on the Monday morning when we are doing the debrief to know and to understand where we can do better," Vasseur continued.

Charles Leclerc driving the SF-25 in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Race Pictures

"And this doesn’t matter if you are P1 or P10. I think the debrief today at Alpine, at Williams, at Red Bull or with us, it’s the same. It’s that we are just trying to do a better job.

“And on every single pillar of the performance, on the engine, on the gearbox, on the aero, on the set-up, on the simulator, this is the DNA of what we are doing.

Leclerc's words, a champion's job

Vasseur then insisted that all teams are pushed forward, and their champions are often leading the charge. “But all of us, it’s not that just one team is waking up in the morning, ‘Ah, we are not doing a good job, we have to push’.

“Trust me, I think Max [Verstappen] is pushing the team at the limit, Lando [Norris] is pushing the team at the limit. And honestly, it’s also what we are expecting. It’s part of their job.

“Charles and Lewis [Hamilton], if they were very happy with the car and everything, I would be desperate. But this is more positive than something else,” Vasseur concluded.

Barrichello urges Hamilton to keep things quiet at Ferrari

Rubens Barrichello advised Lewis Hamilton to keep critiques and sensitive discussions with his Ferrari race engineer private rather than over team radio, arguing such issues should be handled “behind closed doors.” Read the full story here.

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