Formula 1
Hectic 2023 F1 season delayed Ferrari driver contract talks
Ferrari Formula 1 team boss Fred Vasseur has blamed the ‘chaotic’ end to the 2023 season for delaying contract renewal talks with drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Matt Kew
Edited: Dec 21, 2023, 12:04 AM
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Both drivers have deals in place until the end of 2024 but amid summer speculation that Sainz was facing pressure to keep his seat, Vasseur had said the team hoped to sort the paperwork come the end of this year.
Given the lack of confirmation as the weeks have gone on, more recent rumours spread that Leclerc had signed a bumper five-year deal that could take his annual salary up to €50 million.
But Vasseur says the “big chaos” surrounding a “very demanding” end of the 2023 campaign meant driver negotiations were ultimately put on the back-burner and an official decision is due soon.
Speaking at a media event in Maranello, he said: “They are under contract with us until the end of 2024. It means that we have still 13 months in front of us.
“It's quite comfortable. We have still a lot of weeks and months in front of us.
“I told [the press] that I will try to take a decision before the end of the year. I have to admit that the last part of the season was a big chaos for everybody. I think that it was very demanding.
“We had meetings and we started the discussion, but we are late compared to the initial plan.
“But it's not an issue at all. We are much in advanced compared to Mercedes [announcing new deals for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in late August].
“We are easy on this and will take the decision soon.”
Photo by: Ferrari
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal and General Manager, Scuderia Ferrari
Motorsport.com anticipates a three-year extension for Leclerc and a two-year deal for Sainz.
Vasseur added that, despite Leclerc being viewed externally as Ferrari’s leading light, his two drivers have equal status – underlined by a Singapore Grand Prix in which Leclerc sacrificed his tyre choice to defend against Russell to help Sainz to the team’s sole win of the season.
“We showed this season that we have a more than equal treatment between the drivers,” added Vassuer.
“I remember perfectly that one year ago that I had tons of questions about Charles number one and Carlos number two and blah, blah, blah, blah…
“It's not that we have a number one, the bigger asset. We have two drivers. They are doing a good job…
“I think one of the good point of the season is that they score almost the same number of points. [Leclerc: fifth, 206 points; Sainz: seventh, 200].
“I will consider this year in the same way to give them exactly the same level.”
Additional Reporting Roberto Chinchero and Franco Nugnes
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