About two months have passed since Frédéric Vasseur set foot in Ferrari. After a careful phase of study relating to the merits earned on track by the group created over the years by Mattia Binotto, the report of the French manager to the Italian top management arrived. A clear opinion on the men engaged in the last few years in the Maranello.
Free from prejudices, the Frenchman spoke clearly with Benedetto Vigna exposing his opinion on the solid work carried out and the validity of the men responsible for leading the various departments. This was what the former Alfa Romeo man had to do and did, even before dealing with the operational plan concerning the 2023 racing campaign.
The first to suffer the consequences was Iñaki Rueda. The Spaniard has enjoyed immense appreciation over the last few years without ever being questioned by the previous management. However, analyzing the performance of the strategic department headed by him, it was very complicated to confirm the Spanish engineer in his role.
In his place there is now Ravin Jain, the young British of Indian origin who is considered very promising. Inaki Rueda took a seat within the strategic department to support the remote garage. Some time later there was the departure of aerodynamicist David Sanchez, after he realized that his future in Maranello following the change of team principal was not as rosy as he expected.
Last month’s dystopian reports from the Italian media informed of how the French manager was a sort of “puppet” placed in the Ferrari Racing Division just to implement the orders of CEO Benedetto Vigna. Nothing further from the truth, as also confirmed by FUnoanalisitecnica website. They had reported this information even at that moment, explaining how Frederic Vasseur, although even he defined himself as a “non-technician”, has always enjoyed full decision-making power since arriving in Maranello.
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The French manager has already been working for some time to strengthen the Racing Division in various departments. A scenario which, if on the one hand it underlines some technical shortcomings within the Maranello team, on the other it reaffirms two concepts: the measures aimed at strengthening the workforce are all right, Fred Vasseur is in Ferrari to bring the team chosen back to the top as a group.
In Italy you can find engineers of the highest level. We agree. No one could say otherwise. However Ferrari has decided to explore the market beyond the borders of Italy, convinced that in some ways, recent history teaches it: the Anglo-Saxon mentality has often shown an edge linked to working methods and the “cunning” interpretation of the regulation. Two factors that mark a clear difference in Formula 1.
The ok from the top management arrived a long time ago, not two days ago. However, one fact remains: snatching prestigious human resources from the competition to insert them in a complicated context like that of Maranello is not at all simple. The fear of failing within a circuit where several important figures have failed to achieve their goals persists.
If we add to this the enormous pressure factor that surrounds the Ferrari environment, it goes without saying that the mission entrusted to Fred Vasseur is full of pitfalls. Much more than he can think. Above all because, as far as we know, the will of the management aims to recruit a few individuals but of the highest level.
Ferrari looking for a technical director
FUnoanalisitecnica has talked about it a few days ago with an illustrious guest during their podcast. A nice chat with former Ferrari race engineer Luigi Mazzola, an who has a very long militancy within the top category of motorsport. The 61-year-old from Ferrara has expressed a clear opinion on the current status of Ferrari. Among the various topics discussed with great attention, the technical-managerial aspect was discussed.
Ferrari pays for the absence of clear technical indications. The various departments present within a team such as vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, engines, data analysis, racing engineering and so on must necessarily be managed by an individual capable of providing a 360-degree view. In short, a technical director capable of acting as a glue to direct work and men towards the correct path. For now, it seems that Fabio Montecchi has been given this responsibility.
However, Fred Vasseur is looking for someone with great experience, the authority at a technical level will be crucial in the attempt to lead the team during the most delicate moments. To do this, starting from the assumption that the engineering base of Ferrari is more than valid, the Maranello team is looking for a suitable figure aware of the hard work that lies ahead of him. The identikit aims to identify a specialized professional of a lot of track experience able to take care of a ‘broken’ team.
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