Sainz rejects Ferrari 'brain drain' claims

Carlos Sainz says there is not a "brain drain" at Ferrari after a number of high-profile staff left the Formula 1 team.

After the 2022 season, Team Principal Mattia Binotto was relieved of his duties to be replaced by Frederic Vasseur, and the likes of David Sanchez and Laurent Mekies also elected to take up new roles with McLaren and AlphaTauri respectively.

It comes as Ferrari are struggling to put together a sustained title bid after their 2022 fight could not last the distance, and the 2023 car proving to be well behind the dominant Red Bull RB19 machine – although Charles Leclerc did take the only non-Red Bull pole position in Azerbaijan.

When asked about the staff changes at Ferrari, Sainz was adamant that the squad were sufficiently prepared.

Sainz rejects claims

"We're doing our due diligence in hiring people," he told media, including RacingNews365.com.

"You probably lose [people] quicker than you gain, and it's obviously more difficult to hire, it takes more time than to lose [people].

"I'm pretty sure that the team is covering those two scenarios, and I am pretty confident with the plan that they've put together for the immediate future.

"I think [Mekies is] a very strong [person] and I'm not surprised that they want him as Team Principal, it is a step up for him."

Teammate Leclerc also backed Ferrari to bounce back into contention for regular wins and title challenge, adding that: "If I need to choose one team that can do that, it is Ferrari because I know what's going on in the inside and what we are trying to achieve."

Attention given to names

Vasseur assumed control of the team in January, being tasked with returning Ferrari to championship glory for the first time since 2008.

He echoed Sainz's thoughts about the hiring and losing of personnel, believing the attention was being drawn towards the bigger names such as Sanchez and Mekies.

"It's not a matter of individuals. When you have 1,000 employees and you have a turnover of six or seven percent, it means that we have 100 people a year leaving and joining the company," he explained.

"And sometimes [the media] pay attention to one or two, but we have 100 people a year joining the company that are going from other teams or other businesses.

"It means that sometimes you are paying a lot of attention to names, but it's not these driving performance – but we are recruiting a lot."