Ferrari team boss Vasseur insists 'there will be no number one driver'

New Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur insists ‘there will be no No 1 driver’ next season as he promises Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz an equal crack at claiming the F1 world title

• New Ferrari boss Vasseur says that ‘everything is in place to win’ next season
• Mattia Binotto resigned as team principal after losing the confidence of Leclerc

Fred Vasseur, the latest unlikely candidate to be handed control of the asylum called Ferrari, insisted that he will not install Charles Leclerc as the team’s No 1 driver, but stated his belief that ‘everything is in place to win’.

In a sometimes strangely light-hearted press conference – the Frenchman’s first in English since taking over earlier in the month – he promised Carlos Sainz an equal crack at claiming Ferrari’s first world drivers’ championship since Kimi Raikkonen beat Lewis Hamilton to the prize 16 years ago.

‘The priority is to win for Ferrari,’ said Vasseur, 54. ‘There will be no No 1 and No 2, but if I need to take action at one stage of the season (to favour one driver over another) I will do it. It doesn’t matter which one of them it is.’

New Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur says that ‘everything is in place to win’ next season

Among the many failings that beset a fast-starting Ferrari last year – a lack of development, unreliability and strategic madness – the previous regime headed by the now-departed Mattia Binotto largely spread their favours equally between eventual runner-up Leclerc and Sainz, even though the latter had an unexpectedly unproductive season.

Vasseur’s decision to maintain that even-handedness runs counter to the policy enacted under the stewardship of another Frenchman, Jean Todt, who oversaw the years of Michael Schumacher’s rise and domination around the turn of the century.

Schumacher was undisputed No 1 – a privilege some critics claim detracts from his legend.

Vasseur has promised Charles Leclerc (L) and Carlos Sainz (R) an equal crack at world title

Vasseur, who joins from Alfa Romeo and ran Leclerc successfully in junior formulae, said he had exchanged text messages with Todt in recent weeks. ‘All advice welcome,’ smiled the new man, though he ruled out an official consultancy role for Todt, who stood aside as FIA president 13 months ago.

Vasseur deflected questions over whether he would make changes to the misfiring strategy boffins, saying it would be ‘arrogant’ to make any sweeping judgments after only two weeks in Maranello. He added that it was not always the tip of the iceberg that needed addressing but the processes beneath.

Vasseur, Ferrari’s fifth team principal in a decade, declared: ‘I said we want to win and believe we can. After 32 years on the pit wall, I hope I can bring some racing spirit to the job.’

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