Vasseur soothes Leclerc-Hamilton Ferrari concern

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur believes the experience of handling Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz should make Lewis Hamilton's arrival trouble-free.

Although Leclerc and Sainz had a relatively controversy-free time as team-mates, there were flashpoints, including at the 2023 Italian and 2024 Las Vegas Grands Prix, but they did not escalate to any great effect.

Hamilton will replace Sainz for 2025, with both used to unofficial number one status, something that has caused problems for multiple teams in the past, including Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes between 2014-2016.

However, Vasseur, who has worked with both Leclerc and Hamilton prior to joining Ferrari believes the working relationship between the pair will actually drive Ferrari forwards.

"You know that it is always a challenge, and I had my challenge this year between Charles and Carlos," Vasseur told select media including RacingNews365.

"But I think it was part of our performance, and I am really convinced that the assimilation into the team is key for the performance.

"Between Charles and Carlos, we had some moments, like Monza 2023 or Las Vegas 2024, but at the end of the day, it was beneficial for the performance of the team.

"Charles and Lewis, I am not particularly worried about as they have a huge mutual respect, they know each other and have been speaking about this for months. 

"It is much better to fight for one, two or three on the grid than to fight for 19th or 20th and it is a good issue for the team to have this kind of discussions, this kind of approach.

"I am really convinced that the performance of the team is coming from the admiration between the two."