“Better than freezing the situation”: Frederic Vasseur made his drivers fight each other for third place at Monza instead of hedging their positions
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur made a conscious decision to let Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc race freely against each other in the closing laps of the Formula One Grand Prix in Italy – as a gesture to the home fans.
“If I had frozen the position, people would ask exactly the same question – why did you freeze the situation?” said Vasseur when asked.
“But I think it was also the best way to thank everyone, for the support of the tifosi and so on, and I didn’t feel so comfortable freezing something with five laps to go,” the Ferarri team boss continues.
Sainz and Leclerc were third and fourth after Red Bull’s Sergio Perez had overtaken them both. Vasseur then decided not to tell the drivers to hold the position and take the points.
Vasseur: Fight yes, but without risk
Instead, they were told that they could continue to race against each other until the chequered flag, but on the condition that they should not take any risks.
Leclerc made several audacious attempts to overtake his teammate and even closed the gap at the first corner at the start of the final lap, but in the end Sainz had the edge and secured the final podium spot.
“I trust them, but I told them not to take any risks. It’s always relative, the term ‘no risk’ is relative. But I am very proud of the decision and of the work the drivers have done,” said Vasseur.
At the same time, the 55-year-old is keen to stress that as team boss he personally made the decision to let Sainz and Leclerc drive freely. “In this matter I want to have the last word. And I told them: no risk, you can drive, but no risk. But again, it’s relative.”
“Still, I felt much more comfortable in this situation than freezing something,” he added. “I don’t want to start a polemic here, but if I had frozen the situation, I would have been asked exactly the same question: Why did you freeze it, it’s not in the spirit of the race and so on. “
Sainz and Lecler enjoyed duel
Sainz, for his part, stressed that it had been a “clean” battle with his teammate. “Of course we knew that the car with DRS will always have the feeling of being the faster car,” said the Spaniard. “But at the same time we knew that we were both fighting for the podium in Monza.”
“So it was always going to be a bit of a battle, a bit of a battle. In the end we kept it clean. There were some nice manoeuvres here and there, close battles.”
“I honestly enjoyed fighting Max against Checo (Perez) and against Charles. I think it was a good day for Formula One, a good show. I just did everything I could to stay in front and it worked,” Sainz expressed his happiness.
When asked if he had any worries, he says: “I never felt like I was taking too much of a risk. Of course, with a teammate you’re always a bit more tense and keep a bit more distance.”
“The last thing you want at Monza, in front of the tifosi, is for the two Ferraris to touch. But I think we had a tough battle. It was about an important position and we managed to keep it clean. “
Leclerc: Both on the limit, but always fair
Leclerc echoed Sainz’s words and stressed that he had enjoyed the battle. “I was on the limit, Carlos was on the limit. It’s quite normal,” said the Monegasque.
“I think it means a lot to both of us to be on the podium in front of the tifosi, so we gave everything, but we also know how important it is for the tifosi to have a red car on the podium, no matter who it is. So we had that in the back of our minds. But we also enjoyed it a lot. It was cool.”
Asked about the order not to take risks, he says: “We both did, like I said. I mean, Carlos was at the limit of the regulations when he was braking and I was at the limit of the regulations when I was attacking, so we both did it, but it all turned out fine. Everything is fine. “