In a few weeks, the Formula 1 series will close its doors, bidding farewell to the victories and challenges of 2023. This will also mark the end of Frederic Vasseur’s first season at the helm of Scuderia Ferrari. The Frenchman found himself managing a difficult situation, with a lot of pressure behind him, stemming from a 2022 Formula 1 championship in which the Maranello team seemed poised to return to winning ways.
However, this year the team struggled more, even though it is the only one, at least so far, to have interrupted Red Bull’s dominance.
Speaking to the Bild newspaper, the team principal admitted the complexities he faced in Maranello, primarily due to an underperforming SF-23: “There could not have been a more challenging time to start at Ferrari. I didn’t know the level of the car, and I had a lot of information to process. Then there was the launch. The expectations for the car were higher than what we had brought to the track in Bahrain. And in Jeddah, it went almost worse. The Monday after Jeddah was tough. We didn’t get the expected results. But we never panicked; we stayed calm and tried to address the problems one by one.” – the French manager explained, ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Media blackout on Mattia Binotto
At this point, journalist Silja Rulle asked a tricky question, saying that he hadn’t worked on the car but had inherited it from his predecessors. The explicit name wasn’t mentioned, but it was a clear reference to the work of Mattia Binotto. However, the team principal sidestepped the issue, responding diplomatically: “I would say that we have made progress in terms of pit stops and strategy. There is more peace on the pit wall. It went well, and it was satisfying. But developing the car takes time, so you have to avoid frustration. When problems are identified, it takes months. Even for recruiting qualified workers, you have to be patient. We’re all giving our best.” – the Ferrari boss explained.
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Fred Vasseur also wanted to focus on strategies, which have often been the team’s main issue last year, to the point that one of the first revolutions he made was the dismissal of Iñaki Rueda, who had been criticized for years. “When it comes to strategy, you have to accept that everyone sometimes makes mistakes because they can’t see clearly. The most important thing is that we are honest with each other and try to understand the mistakes. I would say the atmosphere is very positive.” – the Ferrari team principal concluded.
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