Leclerc-Vasseur history? Sainz: “When he sees my speed, he’ll respect that”
Vasseur gave Leclerc his F1 debut with Sauber, and they now link up again at Ferrari.
The new team principal has insisted that neither Leclerc nor Sainz will profit from being the team’s No1 driver.
Asked by Sky if he was worried by his boss and his teammate’s previous history, Sainz said: “No, not at all. I have always got on with my F1 bosses.
“I have the confidence that when Fred sees my capabilities - my speed, talent - he will respect that. We will get on well.
“If he has a good relationship with Charles? That will help him influence the team.”
Vasseur was asked if he needed an awkward conversation with Sainz, but replied: “I didn’t need to. Carlos trusts me, I trust Carlos.
“I tried to get him at Renault and Sauber, but he didn’t want to come to me! So I have come to him! The mood is perfect, we have mutual trust.”
Mattia Binotto is the latest Ferrari team principal to lose his job after failing to deliver a first drivers’ championship since 2007.
Last season the Scuderia were scuppered by strategy and performance problems.
Sainz said about Binotto’s exit: “Since I have been at Ferrari, the expectation is to win. When you represent Ferrari you must represent those values.
“Everyone wants to be world champion. For me, focusing on the short-term - what can we do to become a better race team? We know the three or four points.
“There were little issues at the beginning of last year, but I still scored points. This year, I want to start on the right footing and hit the ground running. I have worked hard over the winter.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
