Charles Leclerc is not Ferrari's No. 1 driver, states Scuderia boss

Ferrari's new team principal Fred Vasseur has said that Charles Leclerc will not be the team's lead driver for the upcoming season, saying they will operate as they did in 2022; without a driver hierarchy.

Vasseur said he has made it "crystal clear" to both drivers that they will be given equal treatment by the team. With Leclerc having raced under Vasseur's leadership in the 2018 season with Alfa Romeo Sauber, it was speculated that he would be given the No. 1 driver status in 2023.

However, Vasseur said that achieving team objectives is a higher priority for Ferrari for the upcoming season. Speaking to Sky Italy, the Frenchman said:

"The target of the team is to win - with Ferrari and for Ferrari, this is the policy of the team. I already spoke with the drivers about this. It's crystal clear that we'll give them exactly the same treatment and we'll support both of them in the same way."

Former Alfa Romeo boss Vassuer was appointed Ferrari boss after Mattia Binotto ended his association with the Maranello-based team after nearly three decades following the conclusion of the 2022 season.

The team has been without a title for 15 years and had the chance to end their drought last season. However, a promising start to their season came undone as a series of questionable team decisions and mechanical issues ensured Red Bull's Max Verstappen comfortably took home his second world championship.

Further explaining his decision to treat both drivers equally, Vasseur said he believes that they have to work best for the team and not just for themselves.

However, he said that if either Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz perform significantly better than the other, the team will readjust its strategy accordingly, but that won't happen from the onset of the season.

"For sure, if at one stage during the season, one is in a much better place to fight for the championship, we'll have to take action, but it's not that one will be the number one from the beginning of the season."

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Ferrari relaxed about reliability in 2023

One of the primary reasons why Charles Leclerc lost the lead in the championship in 2022 was because of the reliability of the engine, with the losses in Spain and Baku down to those issues.

However, Vasseur said that Ferrari's car looks reliable enough for the upcoming season, meaning the team can have a better shot at winning the title. Ahead of the pre-season testing in Bahrain, scheduled for February 23-25, Vasseur said reliability was "under control."

"Reliability is key - it's key for the test because you have to do a lot of mileage in three days. We have only one test this year," Vasseur said. "It means that you have to arrive in Bahrain with reliability, or it could be much more difficult. Then we'll see during the season about reliability, but it looks to be so far under control."