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Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has once backed his call to pick Lewis Hamilton over Carlos Sainz. Terming the decision a 'no-brainer', Vasseur felt that there were a ton of things that the seven-time world champion brought to the table that could not have been ignored.
Sainz has been a strong contributor at Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc ever since he joined the team in 2021. The Spaniard scored more points than his teammate in 2021 and has been very competitive with the Monegasque ever since. He is also the only Ferrari driver to win races for the team since Vasseur took over.
Winning the races in Singapore last season and Melbourne this year were remarkable drives from the Spaniard. Having said that, when Hamilton's name popped up at Ferrari, Vasseur felt that the team was always going to go for it. Talking to the New York Times about choosing Lewis Hamilton over Sainz, Vasseur said (via RacingNews365):
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"For the team, being able to have Lewis on board was a no-brainer for tons of reasons, and I had to take a decision. The decision was harsh, but the way we managed it with Carlos, and the people around Carlos, was the best that we could because it wasn't easy."
The Ferrari team principal added:
"I remember perfectly that we closed the discussion by saying, 'It is like it is. Let's push until the last corner of the last lap and do a mega-good season'. His reaction has been a good one, rather than him saying, 'Ah, you f**ing b**d', blah blah blah. Instead, he has created a positive dynamic and I'm full of respect for this."
Fred Vasseur on why the Lewis Hamilton announcement was made early in the year
Fred Vasseur explained that the reason behind making the announcement early in the year was to help Carlos Sainz secure another seat for 2024. With the Lewis Hamilton announcement coming early in the year, Sainz can now be a player in the driver market and try to secure a seat for himself.
Talking about why the announcement was made this early, Vasseur said:
"The fact we announced it very early surprised people. With Lewis we could have waited for July but I think it was also out of respect for Carlos that we wanted to give him the maximum chance to find a good opportunity and so on. I hope that he will find something."
With Hamilton moving to Ferrari, Sainz is in a quandary at this stage, as while there are a few options on the table, the decision is not going to be easy.
