While the fronts at Red Bull seem to have already been clarified, a possible team order per Charles Leclerc at Ferrari has not yet been an issue
Charles Leclerc has made it clear ahead of his home Grand Prix in Monte Carlo that he is not keen on being declared number one by Ferrari so that he can be supported in the world championship battle by means of team orders if necessary.
“I’m not the one who can make those decisions anyway,” he waves it off. “Red Bull have made it clear how they handle that, and very early in the season. But as far as we are concerned: I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to Mattia about it yet and I haven’t heard anything about it.”
While Red Bull actively whistled back Sergio Perez for the first time in the 2022 season at Barcelona to maximise Max Verstappen’s chances of winning, race director Laurent Mekies has recently stated that the subject of team orders is not currently being discussed at Ferrari. This is despite Carlos Sainz being 39 points behind in the World Championship.
Leclerc is convinced that it is “only a matter of time” before Sainz gets to grips with his difficulties with the F1-75. And he emphasises with regard to the team order question: “I don’t want to rely on it anyway. I want to fix it myself in the car. If we are strong enough, we can win the races. We have already proved that. “
Leclerc is already expecting stronger competition from his own camp next weekend: “Carlos has always been extremely strong in Monaco. I’m sure we’ll both be fighting for pole,” he says. “He is a very strong driver. He just had a bit more difficulty than I did in adjusting to this car.”
The F1-75 suits “a bit better my driving style, at least at the beginning of the season,” Leclerc explains, adding, “This year I’m driving with quite an oversteering balance. I can handle it well. But I’m sure Carlos will be back to full speed very soon. In the end, it’s up to me to do the best job I can anyway. “
