Vasseur addresses 'number one driver' claims at Ferrari F1 team

Two strong drivers Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur hasasserted that there is no preferential treatment between theirFormula 1 drivers. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have beenpaired together at the Italian squad since 2021. Ferrari has beenunable to contend for championships during their time spent asteam-mates, although the team has secured an odd race victory.After going winless in 2021, Leclerc won three races to Sainz's onein 2022 before Sainz became the only non-Red Bull driver to win arace this year. Despite Leclerc being at the team longer and havinga better record in the head-to-head battle, Vasseur believes thatSainz's victory in Singapore earlier this year showcases thesquad's focus on equal treatment. “We showed this season that wehave more than equal treatment between the drivers,” Vasseur toldmedia including RacingNews365 . “I remember perfectly that one yearago in the same room, I had tons of questions about Charles numberone and Carlos number two and 'blah blah blah'. “We showed on someoccasions, I think Singapore was the best example, when Charlesagreed to start with Soft [tyres] to jump [George] Russell andblock Russell. “When we asked Charles to slow down Russell, he didit. It meant that they did a very good job together.” Vasseurhighlighted that Ferrari wants to have two drivers with mirroringperformances in order to maximise its results. “It's not that wehave a number one [driver] that’s a bigger asset. We have twodrivers, they are doing a good job. “I think that Carlos was morethan strong when he came back after the summer break, he had a verygood sequence with Monza and Singapore. “It's probably also part ofthe good results of Charles at the end of the season to have thesekinds of positive emulation. I will continue in this direction, Idon't want to have one good asset and another one [that's] not agood asset. “We have two cars, two drivers. One of the good pointsof the season is that they scored almost the same number of points.“I will consider this last year in the same way, to give themexactly the same level of freedom and the same approach in thestrategy of the race.”