Ferrari issues response to driver dynamic criticism amid Max Verstappen claim

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has defended his decision to pair Charles Leclerc with Lewis Hamilton, despite Max Verstappen’s suggestion that a team is less likely to succeed with two number one drivers in Formula 1.

The first-lap battle between Hamilton and Leclerc that all but cost Ferrari a probable victory in Mexico City earlier this month prompted Verstappen, who capitalised on the clash to win the race instead, to contend that the incident demonstrated the issue with a side at the sharp end boasting two drivers on equal terms.

Ferrari boss defends driver line-up decision

Verstappen doubled down on his stance to Viaplay last weekend in Brazil, citing that he would avoid the dynamic at Ferrari in the scenario where he was a team principal.

“If you simply had one clear number one and one clear number two, they would have gone through that corner in first and second, and they would have finished first and second as well. Or maybe first and third, but that’s fine too. As a team, you’re still scoring good points,” the Dutchman pinpointed.

“I’ve said it before. People very often disagree with me, but if I were a team principal – if I had my own team – I would never sign two number-one drivers, because then you get this.

“Then this is normal. One isn’t going to give way to the other, because of course they both think they can win, and that’s how I am too.

“So if I were a team principal, I would never go for two number-one drivers. Some people completely disagree with that, but that’s fine as well.”

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But while he has acknowledged the downside to having two evenly matched drivers, Vasseur argued that the competitiveness between Hamilton and Leclerc is among the reasons that Ferrari is set to secure second place in the Constructors’ Championship.

“For sure, we have two experienced guys, two competitive guys,” he recognised.

“There are now four or five races in a row that we are at the front, scoring the highest number of points after Monza and Madrid. Then, for sure, you have a kind of escalation because you all want to win races.

“I think it’s probably the downside of the system, that we have two competitive guys starting each weekend next to each other.

“But I think if we are P2 today, it’s also because we have two guys who are very, very close, and we have to manage it. But it’s a choice. It’s a choice in the line-up, and I have the positive and the negative, but I will deal with the negative.”

Vasseur added that the relationship between Hamilton and Leclerc is incomparable to the one the latter shared with Carlos Sainz, given the 12-year age gap between the duo.

“You can’t compare the relationship between Carlos and Charles, or Charles and Lewis, or Lewis and [Valtteri] Bottas [at Mercedes] in the past, or whatever,” he said.

“They have different personalities. Probably in terms of age and experience, Charles was a bit closer to Carlos, and it is like it is.

“But I’m not asking them to be best friends. I think it would even probably be a bit negative. I’m just asking them to act and to work as professionals, and this is it.”

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