Frederic Vasseur, the team boss of Ferrari, remains a staunch defender of Charles Leclerc amid ongoing team shifts.
It's Carlos Sainz, not Leclerc, who will depart at the year's end to accommodate seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton's arrival.
The impact of Hamilton's arrival on Leclerc, who has had trouble consistently matching the formidable Sainz this season, raises questions.
"I don't want to think about it because we have a lot of work to do this season," Vasseur told Sky Italia.
"We know the positives of Lewis' arrival.
"Everyone has been saying that (George) Russell is faster than him, but at the moment he (Hamilton) has scored more points for Mercedes."
Regarding Leclerc's recent form with the 2024 Ferrari, Vasseur acknowledged, "He has had some problems in the last few weekends. But I still think he is there. Sometimes we have overreacted collectively.
"When I say that, I am not talking about Charles or anyone in particular, because the first problem we have is with the package and then as a team we unconsciously try to compensate," he added.
While Sainz has been singularly focused on securing a new team for 2025 and beyond, both Ferrari and Leclerc have grappled with instability.
For example, as McLaren becomes the ultra-stable force increasingly dominating F1, Ferrari is rumored to be keen on hiring Adrian Newey amidst the departure of its technical leader, Enrico Cardile.
"I don't think so," Vasseur stated. "We are talking about individuals, someone who could arrive, and we are a group of over 1000 people. You can change A with B or B with C, but it won't change the organization.
"I was upset to read in the press that we could hire 20 people because this sends a negative message to the people who work here already. It is not the objective of a team that is very happy with the work done in the last 12 months."
The rumor of '20 people' suggests Ferrari has indeed abandoned the idea of signing Newey due to his high demands, which could strain the budget cap.
"This is both true and not true," Vasseur claimed. "The top three salaries are excluded from the budget cup, so even if Aston Martin hired Newey, he would not be included (in the cap)."
Recently hinting that Ferrari was about to announce a significant new hire with a "five-letter name," Vasseur clarified, "It is no secret that Loic Serra will join the team next month. He will be a good reinforcement and an added value because he has a huge experience in F1.
"I always avoid talking about just one name because we are in a process and from the beginning, since I arrived, we took the decision to strengthen the team in terms of areas and we have probably hired 60 people. But I prefer to keep a low profile and trust the people we already have."
Vasseur also spoke up for Leclerc in an interview with the New York Times. "He still has the same characteristic - to blame himself first," he said. "For this, he didn't change.
"But overall, I think he is on the trajectory I saw in the past. He's doing a mega good job in the car, and in terms of motivation and the collaboration with everybody. We can't complain." body check tags ::
