Frederic Vasseur says there is no lack of motivation in the Ferrari F1 camp and or its drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz despite the results.
It hasn’t been the start what Ferrari wanted certainly and such situation can definitely cause motivation difficulties in anyone whether it is the team members or even drivers. But new boss Vasseur says there is no lack of it even in such circumstances.
The talk is especially on Leclerc, who finds himself 10th in the standings with two DNFs in three races. His F1 title hopes has hit an early setback and he is on for further penalties for power unit parts, having already taken them at the start of the season.
“I have absolutely no doubt about the motivation of Charles,” Vasseur said to F1 media. “For sure the start of the season is not ideal at all. We had a DNF in Bahrain, then the penalty in Jeddah and the DNF in Melbourne – it was not at all the plan. But the motivation is still there.
“You know that I have a good relationship with Charles, and this won’t affect the mood. When you are jumping on Charles or Carlos or any other drivers in the TV pen 30 seconds after the race, for sure they can’t be happy, and I would be very frustrated if they were relaxed and happy with the situation.
“But the most important thing for me is to keep everybody motivated, pushing in the same direction, and they the drivers are supporting the team. The motivation is not an issue at all,” summed up Vasseur, who is under early pressure to deliver for Ferrari after replacing Mattia Binotto.
There are changes happening behind the scenes at Maranello which Vasseur is implementing and his relationship with the Ferrari bosses will be key in the coming period. The Frenchman plays down any chances of rift or difficult moments among them.
“Just that the mood into the team is incredibly good for the level of result that we have,” said Vasseur. “I think everybody is very motivated, very focused, the drivers they are very supportive with us. The mood into the team is more than good.
“If the question was about the relationship with John or Benedetto, trust me that it’s also very positive. For sure we don’t have the results that we are expecting, but we are all working together to improve the situation,” summed up Vasseur.
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