New Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur confirmed he held a brief talk with an Audi representative about he offer he received from the Maranello team and was told that he could not reject such an offer from Ferrari.
The French manager was officially confirmed as Ferrari team principal in December 2022, replacing Mattia Binotto who left the Italian side at the end of the 2022 Formula 1 championship, following a season in which Ferrari was not able to mount a title challenge against Red Bull despite starting the campaign with a very strong challenger, the F1-75,
Having been in charge of Sauber Motorsport for six years, Frederic Vasseur was set to lead the team (currently badged as Alfa Romeo) as it begins it project alongside Audi for the 2026 season – as the process of buying Sauber has already started.
Those plans changed when Frederic Vasseur was contact by the Ferrari top management to discuss the possibility of moving to Maranello and leading the Ferrari Formula 1 Racing Division, a role he says he was urged to take by an Audi representative:
“When I had the call from Ferrari, I didn’t share it with everyone in the world,” Frederic Vasseur said in a recent interview for the media when questioned about the process to take him to Maranello – “It was my own reflection and my own discussion with John Elkann. I didn’t share it with Audi before the announcement. I [then] had a chat with someone from Audi, and they told me that you can’t refuse an offer from Ferrari.” – he explained.
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The French manager was replaced as Sauber chief executive officer by then-McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl – an ex-boss of the Porsche LMP1 programme whose links to the Volkswagen group made him a great candidate as Audi continue to ramp up their Formula One entry plans.
“It’s a challenge but it’s always a challenge. You [shouldn’t] imagine that you can have an easy life in Formula 1. Sauber is staying close to my thoughts and I had a very good relationship everybody at the team, and wish them all the best for the future.” – Frederic Vasseur concluded.
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