Ferrari address rumours of poor atmosphere after horrific start to F1 2023 season
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on track at the Australian Grand Prix. Melbourne, March 2023.
Fred Vasseur has denied that there is a poor atmosphere at Ferrari and insisted he has the support of the team’s senior figures.
After a poor end to the 2022 season, Ferrari would have hoped to come out of the traps in 2023 much quicker than they have done.
They are currently fourth in the Constructors’ standings, 97 points adrift of leaders Red Bull, and Charles Leclerc has failed to finish in two of the opening three races.
It would be fair to guess that the atmosphere within the corridors of Maranello is less than ideal, but team boss Vasseur has refuted that, insisting he has a strong relationship with chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna.
“The mood within the team is incredibly good,” the Frenchman told the Italian edition of Motorsport.com. “Everyone is very motivated, very concentrated and the drivers also provide maximum support.
“If the question is about the relationship I have with John and Benedetto, trust me, it’s very positive. We certainly didn’t get the results we expect, but we are all working together to improve the situation.”
When quizzed about how Leclerc may be feeling following his poor start to 2023, Vasseur said he had “absolutely no doubts about the integrity of Charles’ motives.”
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“Surely the start of the season wasn’t what we wanted and what he wanted to have, there was the retirement in Bahrain, the penalty in Jeddah and the retirement in Melbourne, which was certainly not in the plans, but the motivation is intact,” Vasseur said.
“I have a good relationship with Charles, and I’m sure of it. When we talk in the heat of the moment, a few minutes after getting out of the car, both Charles and Carlos [Sainz] can’t be happy, and I should add that I would be very frustrated if I saw them relaxed and happy with the car.
“The most important thing for me is to keep everyone motivated to push in the same direction, and what I see are two drivers who are supporting the team to the fullest, Carlos has been here in Maranello all week in the simulator and Charles will do the same. Motivation isn’t a problem at all.”
The April break which Formula 1 is now a week into has arguably come at just the right time for Ferrari to allow them to regroup and return refreshed for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
