Vasseur: I don't know where the Albon story came from

Earlier in July, reports in the Italian media suggested Carlos Sainz would be leaving Ferrari at the end of his contract in 2024, the team seemingly agreeing with Alex Albon to join as a replacement for the Spaniard.

In fact, Charles Leclerc has also been surrounded by speculation regarding his future in Red, as he grows increasingly frustrated with the performance of his team and the SF-23 he has at his disposal, always having to overdrive and falling prey to errors.

Sainz on the other hand, may have been less error prone, but has to deal with the fact that Leclerc is the chosen one for Ferrari, not to mention his continuous questioning of the team's pit wall calls during races.

However, Vasseur has now denied the Albon connection; and told the Italian edition of Motorsport.com: "I don't know where this story came from. I've run Albon in the past, and we're friends.

"If a reporter asks me if Alex is currently doing a good job, I would say yes. But that doesn't mean I'm interested in taking him," he added. "I think Alex also has a contract with Williams for 2024. The team is investing a lot, so there is no problem."

The Frenchman, who took over the hot seat at Ferrari at the start of the 2023 F1 season, insists his priority is to get to know the team before making any decisions, especially on the drivers' front.

"I was clear with the team at the beginning of the season, and I was also clear with the drivers, that I need to get to know the team first. And it takes months," he said.

"They still have a one-year contract, so I don't think it's an issue that needs to be discussed now. We'll certainly talk about it in the future, but it's not the first concern.

"The priority, for everyone, is to focus on the team, especially this season. I don't want there to be any distracting elements," Vasseur maintained.

Speaking of his drivers, the Ferrari boss shed some light on their performance, he said: "Leclerc is capable of exceptional things. Sometimes he does things that you don't know where he got them from.

"Charles is a driver who always thinks about winning. Our car is behind the Red Bull, but he is still there thinking about trying to win.

"In certain situations, we have seen him push too much, and go into over-driving. He tries to compensate for the shortcomings with strategy, with being aggressive, and with the risk of making mistakes.

"My job is to direct him in the right way. When we have a car that is capable of taking second place, we have to take pride of place there. Of course, it's also right to look at what happens in front," he added.

As of Sainz, Vasseur said: "Carlos is very consistent. He is able to manage his own pace and does it a little better than Charles. He doesn't overdrive, but he doesn't have the big peaks of Charles, when, for example, he takes pole positions.

"Sometimes he is very close to him. In Miami, up to the last corner, he was on pole. He limits the bad mistakes and he's always there," he concluded.

In addition to the Silly Season rumors, reports are circulating insisting there are cracks in the relationship between Sainz and Leclerc, with tensions evident between the two in Qualifying for the British Grand Prix as the pair squabbled for track position.

In Austria Sainz asked the team to get by Leclerc to try and attack the leading Max Verstappen, but his request was denied only for the Monegasque to finish the race second, the Spaniard sixth.