Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur claimed he was happy to let Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc race during the 2023 Italian Grand Prix despite the risks that ensued from such a decision.
Max Verstappen took victory at the checkered flag on Sunday, having taken P1 away from Carlos Sainz and Ferrari, who managed to hold the Dutchman off for a whole 15 laps. Verstappen claimed his tenth win in a row, also clinching Red Bull’s 15th victory on the trot.
It was Ferrari, however, who were the standouts, as Sainz took third, and Charles Leclerc finishing in fourth, the pair putting up an exhilarating show for the Tifosi as they fought hard for the final podium position, the Spaniard managing to keep the Monegasque at bay.
It was the best that Ferrari could have possibly managed, as the pace of both Red Bulls was yet again just too much to handle, and Scuderia boss Vasseur seemed to think so too.
Speaking after the race in Ferrari’s race report, Vasseur said: “It was a great race and the result was the best we could do today, finishing on the podium in front of our fans and bringing home 27 points which sees us get ahead of Aston Martin and close on Mercedes.
“We dedicate this result to the fans who have been so supportive all weekend long and we are pleased to have put on a good show both yesterday in qualifying and today, especially at the end when we let our drivers fight it out for third place.
“Carlos drove really well all weekend and Charles also recovered well after getting off to a difficult start on Friday. In two weeks we start from scratch again in Singapore, but for today we can be happy with what we have done here.
“We knew our car would be more competitive on this sort of track and the SF-23 lived up to our expectations,” the 55-year-old added.
It was a strange feeling to watch Sainz and Leclerc race
Vasseur and the team let the two drivers challenge each other toward the end of the race, with Sainz coming out on top after a series of close battles with Leclerc behind.
When asked by Sky Sports F1 about allowing the drivers to race as long as they take no risks, the Team Principal responded: “For sure it’s a bit of a strange feeling, but as you know, I’m a big fan of letting them race.
“It was a great feeling, I told them no risk. The notion of no risk is always relative, but I really appreciated the last couple of laps and I hope the fans did.
“As you can imagine, we’ll have the discussion after the race, but perhaps not tonight. Tomorrow [Monday] they are in the factory,” Vasseur concluded.
With the team allowing both drivers to challenge each other during the closing laps, fans were both nervous and excited, as the slightest mistake would’ve meant having no Red Car on the podium, but in the eyes of Vasseur, all went to plan and the fans were treated to a good show.
They may not have won, but it was smiles all around for Vasseur and the Scuderia as a whole, with a podium and fourth place finish being a really strong result, with Red Bull, unsurprisingly, being the only team that Ferrari have lost out to this weekend.