Former Ferrari boss Cesare Fiorano endorses the rumored mega-contract for Charles Leclerc as a wise decision. The buzz in the F1 world is about a potentially massive new deal for Leclerc, spanning 2025 to 2029, with a doubled salary reaching an eye-watering EUR 50m per year, while teammate Carlos Sainz might see a more modest one-year extension.
“I think it’s a good move,” Fiorio candidly shared with La Gazzetta dello Sport. He lauded Leclerc’s progression, noting his increasingly precise driving skills. “Until recently he committed too many mistakes,” Fiorano observed, comparing Leclerc’s trajectory to that of Max Verstappen, a driver of similar age but who also had his fair share of early career mishaps. “Now Leclerc is moving towards the kind of maturity that Max and Lewis Hamilton have.”
Fiorano didn’t shy away from discussing Sainz’s future with Ferrari, suggesting the Spanish driver’s race management is a valuable asset despite some errors. “Leclerc is better in qualifying and faster than his teammate, even if we’re talking about tenths, not half a second. Sainz is overall more skilled in managing a race.”
The conversation turned to Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari’s new boss, with Fiorano, a former sporting director at Ferrari, acknowledging Vasseur’s professional prowess. “He is undoubtedly a great professional and someone who knows his job very well,” Fiorano said, maintaining that Vasseur’s real test will come in the 2024 season.
Ferrari’s challenge to catch up with Red Bull remains a significant task, according to Fiorano. While acknowledging Ferrari’s edge over Mercedes, the real hurdle is the dominant Red Bull team. “A good job was done compared to Mercedes, given that they (Red Bull) were almost caught,” Fiorano remarked, hinting at the balance of power in F1 and how it shifts over time. “In general I see that several teams behind Red Bull are at the same level. The problem is obviously Red Bull.
“But it has always been like this in F1, with periods of more or less absolute dominance. But it never lasts forever.”
Fiorano concluded by addressing Ferrari’s off-season focus. The team’s engine performance seems up to par, but improvements are needed in fast cornering and strategic decisions. “We need more creativity, more intuition, not following the decisions of other teams,” he advised. The Italian underscored the team’s resilience despite a tough year: “This year was quite an uphill battle,” he reflected, “but overall, Ferrari confirmed that it has first-rate staff, excellent mechanics and engineers of great value.”
