"He doesn't mince words": Charles Leclerc opens up on Ferrari team principal's style of working

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has claimed that team principal Frederic Vasseur doesn't 'mince words' and always tells the truth whilst describing his leadership style.

The Frenchman, who was previously the team boss of Alfa Romeo, joined the Italian team at the end of the 2022 season when the Prancing Horse fired Mattia Binotto from the post. Although Vasseur had a tough start to his new role, he slowly asserted his style within the team throughout the last season.

Speaking with Corriere.it, Charles Leclerc opened up on Vasseur's straightforward approach and the impact he has had in his first year in-charge. He said:

"He doesn't mince words or alternative ways to tell the truth. It's a strong point of his, it helps a lot because we don't waste time.

"In F1, time is everything, with him we get straight to the point. Certainly to the engineers, but also to others: we have many capable people. Fred's skill is in going after people who so far have not used their full potential."

The Monegasque driver also hinted at the fact that Vasseur played a big role in him extending his deal with Ferrari, adding:

"Fred's determination in identifying the right profiles and bringing out the best in each person. And his vision of the goal to be achieved and how to get there. It's clear to everyone that we have to win, the difference is in the way he is building a winning team. I am completely onboard with him."

Charles Leclerc analyzes the FP2 session at the Saudi Arabian GP

Charles Leclerc stated that he 'felt okay' after finishing the all-important FP2 session in the top-5 but emphasized that the team had some work to do overnight to challenge for pole position.

As per Motorsportweek, the Ferrari driver said:

“Feeling okay. I mean, there’s still quite a bit of work to do. Everybody seems quite close, even though Aston looks really strong for now. But yeah, I believe that whenever we will go all in qualifying configurations, it will be all about the person that maximized their package."

Despite some struggles, Charles Leclerc is confident that the team is in the fight for pole position, adding:

“So we need to make sure that we do a step forward from today to tomorrow. We did all the tests we wanted today, so let’s see where we are tomorrow. Pole position is always difficult to know, but I think we are all pretty close, so my bet now would be yes.”