'Will the real number one driver at Ferrari please stand up?'

After a roaring start to the new F1 era - Charles Leclerc won thefirst race in Bahrain in 2022 - things went downhill for Ferrarilast year. This year it went from bad to worse, although there wasa highlight in Singapore when Carlos Sainz provided the onlynon-Red Bull win of the F1 season. It was also the first year ofteam boss Fred Vasseur, who replaced Mattia Binotto after thedisappointing end to 2022. After a very disappointing start to theyear, Ferrari managed to turn things around midway through theseason. In the end, it narrowly missed out on second place after aclose battle with Mercedes. In 2024, the team hopes to take anotherstep forward and close the gap to Red Bull. Former F1 driverChristian Klien looks back on the 2023 season with RacingNews365 .How does he think Vasseur did during his first season at the helmin Maranello? "A good question," he laughs. "He has integratedhimself well within the team. It takes time." "Personally, I thinkhighly of Fred. I like him as a person and he now has the chance toreally change things at Ferrari. It takes time. Everything isrunning just a little smoother this year. "A little less chaos interms of strategy, except for maybe Abu Dhabi. Things are a littlecalmer inside Ferrari. The question now is how to take the nextstep and how to develop a faster car, so that they don't haveproblems with tire wear during the races and don't have to push thecar too much anymore." Who is Ferrari's number one driver? Klienbelieves Ferrari has one of the strongest driver lineups on thegrid in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, especially considering itwas looking like the latter was not delivering during the 2022season. "This year Carlos has shown what he has to offer. Ferrarihas a good lineup. The two drivers get along well. They push eachother because they have different strengths. Leclerc has a bit morenatural speed, but Carlos is a very hard worker. That dynamic workspretty well," explains Klien. But who is the real leader within theteam? Leclerc came through their junior driver programme, whileSainz behaves like a true leader on the track by engaging indiscussions with his team and opposing them. "I have exactly thesame feeling. I don't think there is a number one driver atFerrari," says KI "If it is about pure speed, then maybe Leclerc,because he is the Ferrari driver at the moment. Both drivers arevery good in my opinion. If you ask the team, there is no numberone driver, because they both have other strengths. Sainz alsoneeds them. He gives very good input and is really a fighter, asmart guy. Also behind the scenes, with the help of his father,they have positioned Carlos 'politically' well within the team.""So I don't think there is a number one driver at the moment,"concludes Klien. Still, he points to one that he believes will comeout on top if the title battle turns into a Ferrari battle."However, if they have the best car, and fight among themselves forthe world title, I think Leclerc will come out on top. He has justa bit more natural speed." Will that be the case by next year? Itseems strong to Klien, but he does hope that Ferrari will be backin the spotlight a bit more. "What Ferrari can do next year? Thatall depends on the car. They are going to build a new car, with adifferent concept. I hope they take a step forward and that theteams get closer together. In the last part of the year theyalready got stronger and almost caught Mercedes in the battle forsecond place. It should be a step better next year."