Vasseur: Sainz mega-consistent, always there, very dedicated, very focused etc etc

That was long ago. Williams has languished as a backmarker F1 team for far too long. With James Vowles in charge, he is talking the talk, and with the signing of Sainz, walking the walk too. But what kind of driver are Williams getting? And why did Ferrari choose the other Charlie?

By the time he is ensconced at Grove, Sainz will be 30 years old (his 30th birthday is on September 1) and set to lead the team alongside fellow Red Bull survivor Alex Albon.

What the popular Spaniard will bring to the table is best described by Vasseur, the boss who pulled the trigger on his career in red, and who praised the manner in which Sainz handled the news that he would be replaced by Lewis Hamilton in 2025: “It’s one of the qualities of Carlos that he’s very strong in mind.”

As for what he brings to the team as a driver, the Ferrari boss said: "He’s very consistent. There are only two races I could see that were tough for him over the last 36. He is mega-consistent; he is always there. He is very dedicated, very focused, and has a good understanding of the car.”

Despite Vasseur’s praise, Ferrari had the choice to oust one of the two drivers, and Carlos was the odd man out while Charles, as expected, was retained.

Although far more talented, Leclerc is to Ferrari what Lance Stroll is to Aston Martin. A huge and indispensable investment of all forms by the Reds. Charles represents the best of the much-vaunted Ferrari Driver Academy as an alumnus. One could argue that the first was Felipe Massa, but none from their internal development pool has been as successful or F1 world-champ material as Leclerc has been. In other words, he is homegrown by Ferrari.

But 2024 has not been too kind to Leclerc. Although he is one of seven drivers to have won GPs this year—Monaco was epic - his form has slumped. While still P3 in the 2024 F1 Drivers' standings, he trails Red Bull's leader Max Verstappen by 100 points after 14 rounds, with only 10 remaining. Sainz, who missed the Saudi GP, is P5, but only 15 points behind his teammate.

Asked about Leclerc's misadventures, Vasseur said: “It’s not just about Charles; it’s tough for the team. After Monaco, we had a tough sequence. In Canada, we were not in bad shape. What is clear is the car is a bit more difficult to drive in the last couple of events, and the level of expectation for Charles is also a bit higher.

“It’s the life of a team; you have ups and downs. We have had permanent discussions with Charles. He knows the situation on our side, what we do well, and what we did wrong, and he knows sometimes he made mistakes. But we’re not in a situation where we’re trying to put the responsibility on someone.

“We’ve been working together for years, we know each other perfectly, we know we are pushing, and we know we just need to fix things. We are absolutely not in a situation to finger-point. It’s also where it’s good to have a personal relationship," added Vasseur, who was Sauber team boss when Leclerc made his F1 debut with the Swiss team, with Ferrari backing.