Fred Vasseur turns down being godfather to Charles Leclerc’s baby: “I have four children”
Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Fred Vasseur has ruled himself out of becoming godfather to Charles Leclerc’s daughter, joking that he already has enough children to look after.
Leclerc and his wife, Alexandra, announced the birth of their first child, Bianca, on Wednesday.
After a series of questions about the potential tension between his drivers following last weekend’s clash in Mexico, Vasseur was asked in Friday’s press conference whether the Monegasque driver had asked him to be the baby’s godfather.
“I have four children at home and I don’t want to be the godfather of all the children of my drivers,” he replied.
The Ferrari team chief has had plenty to deal with this week after Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s clash on the opening lap of the Mexican Grand Prix. Leclerc attempted to overtake the seven-time champion, who started on pole position, at the race start, but both drivers ran wide.
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari
Photo by: Anni Graf – Formula 1 via Getty Images
Leclerc took the lead but was subsequently handed a five-second penalty for the incident. Meanwhile, Hamilton dropped to third behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Vasseur admitted earlier in the press conference that having two competitive drivers comes with problems, but said it was a choice he was happy with.
“We have two experienced guys, two competitive guys. There are now four or five races in a row that we are at the front, scoring the highest number of points after Monza and Madrid,” he said.
“Then, for sure, you have a kind of escalation because you all want to win races. I think it’s probably the downside of the system, that we have two competitive guys starting each weekend next to each other.
“But I think if we are P2 today, it’s also because we have two guys who are very, very close, and we have to manage it. But it’s a choice. It’s a choice in the line-up, and I have the positive and the negative, but I will deal with the negative.
Ferrari currently sits second in the constructors’ standings with 504 points, 126 behind championship leader Mercedes.
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