What’s going on at Ferrari? According to the Italian press, Frédéric Vasseur does not even have enjoy the usual ‘grace’ period which generally accompanies any new Ferrari team principal taking over his new role.
Arrived in Maranello (Italy) on January 9 to replace Mattia Binotto, he has taken the hit for the disappointment of the Bahrain Grand Prix where the new SF-23 was far behind Red Bull and experienced reliability problems (4th place only for Carlos Sainz and a retirement for Charles Leclerc due to engine failure).
Difficulties which seem to only be the tip of the iceberg according to the Italian media, the evil being much deeper. The Frenchman, who is supposed to take Ferrari to the next level, is even said to be disillusioned with his role as director, which apparently gives him very little power of decision making.
French motorsport magazine ‘Auto Hebdo’ has contacted Frederic Vasseur regarding the reports from the Italian media which claim that he has little power in the team, while Ferrari Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna is in fact the one making the most important decisions.
A surprised Fred Vasseur replied: “I have the means and the power of decision that I have never had elsewhere. This is the reality of the situation!”
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When asked about David Sanchez (Ferrari’s Head of Vehicle Concept) leaving the team, the French manager explained: “It’s inevitable. There are people who were very close to Mattia and who prefer to leave; which doesn’t bother me. And there are others who may have feared for a moment for their future.”
Fred Vasseur on the reports about Charles Leclerc requesting a meeting with John Elkann to discuss the current situation at Ferrari: “We spoke with the drivers, John Elkann and Benedetto Vigna after winter testing, and we will all speak again together after Imola. These meetings are planned..” – the Frenchman pointed out.
“I find it difficult to understand why the team becomes a target after only one race. As far as the correlation between the simulation and the track is concerned, we are in line. That’s why I asked everyone to stay focused on performance and find solutions to reliability issues, because the championship is long. Just because you don’t win the first one doesn’t mean you’re offside. Bahrain was bad in some ways, and good in others!” – Fred Vasseur concluded.
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