Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur remains at the centre of attention from the specialist Formula 1 media and beyond as the Bahrain Grand Prix approaches. Alongside the continuing pressure surrounding his position at Maranello, attention has also turned towards Fred Vasseur’s commitments outside Ferrari and whether they could have any impact on his primary role.
On one side, there have been suggestions that the reported possibility of Christian Horner joining Ferrari has helped close ranks inside a team that had appeared unsettled. The atmosphere has effectively been portrayed as a case of everyone rallying together against an external threat, although such a simple picture appears difficult to reconcile with the historically complex internal dynamics at Maranello. The discussion follows the recent reports surrounding Christian Horner and a possible Ferrari role.
Pressure remains on Fred Vasseur at Ferrari
At the same time, reports continue to indicate considerable pressure on the current team principal. The nickname “Napoleon” attached to Fred Vasseur, much like the “Pharaoh” label previously used for former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto, is understood to have emerged from within the Maranello environment. Needless to say, it is not intended as a compliment.
Tensions between Fred Vasseur and Ferrari chief executive Benedetto Vigna have already been discussed, and those tensions can be confirmed. It is another element in the wider debate over Fred Vasseur’s future and authority at Ferrari, at a time when the leadership structure remains under close scrutiny.
Another point has now been raised by several journalists: Fred Vasseur’s presence at the factory is reportedly not always constant because he continues to follow, directly or indirectly, other organisations and business interests. The suggestion is that these activities could potentially distract him from his principal responsibility at Ferrari, although the conditional nature of that claim is important.
Fred Vasseur’s business interests outside Ferrari
What is certain is that Fred Vasseur has a substantial entrepreneurial background and remains involved with several companies operating in electric motorsport, engineering simulation and financial investment. His activities extend across a number of different organisations.
1. Spark Racing Technology
Role: Founder and currently chairman of the Supervisory Board. This is the position listed by the company’s official website at present, while Nicolas Wertans serves as the operational president.
Sector: Design and production of electric racing vehicles and high-technology systems.
Fred Vasseur created Spark Racing Technology in 2012. Spark has been the official and exclusive chassis supplier to the FIA Formula E World Championship since its inaugural season, covering the progression from the Gen1 cars through to the Gen3 and Gen4 models. SRT has also produced electric off-road vehicles for Extreme E, including the Spark Odyssey 21, as well as for Extreme H.
2. AOTech
Role: Founder.
Sector: Aerodynamic engineering, dynamic simulation and advanced design.
Founded in 2010, AOTech specialises in developing professional driving simulators for high-level racing drivers and in computational fluid dynamics analysis for motorsport and the automotive industry.
Fred Vasseur no longer appears to hold an operational role within the company. Since June 2024, the president has been HICOM, represented by Sébastien Philippe. The company is structured as a single-shareholder SAS, but the identity of the current holder of that share is not publicly known, as the French register of beneficial owners has not been publicly accessible since 31 July 2024.
3. SWI Group
Role: Fred Vasseur, together with Charles Leclerc and Andrés Iniesta, leads the Sports & Entertainment Committee, which is described as an entity separate from the company’s board.
Sector: Finance, real estate and investment in sport and entertainment.
SWI Group is a Swiss investment group with more than €10 billion in assets under management. Fred Vasseur joined in 2025 to support the group’s expansion into sport, media, financing for sports-related start-ups and support for young racing drivers.
The involvement of both Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc also adds another dimension to discussions around Ferrari’s leadership environment, which has recently included questions over how authority is distributed within the Maranello organisation.
4. ART Grand Prix
Role: Co-founder.
Sector: Motor racing team competing in junior categories including Formula 2 and Formula 3.
ART Grand Prix was created in 2004 in partnership with Nicolas Todt, emerging from ASM, the team Fred Vasseur himself had established in 1996. ART has since become one of the most successful junior teams in international motorsport. During its history, the current Ferrari team principal helped guide the development of drivers including Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Charles Leclerc through the junior categories before they reached Formula 1.
In December 2018, Nicolas Todt sold all of his shares in ART Grand Prix. The official announcement did not identify a new external buyer, instead stating that the shares passed to existing shareholders within the company. Some French publications reported that ART itself repurchased the shares.
Among those already involved were Fred Vasseur, through the sporting and ASM side of the operation, and Sébastien Philippe, who had held equity since 2014, when he took over the operational presidency from Fred Vasseur. Sébastien Philippe is also a former ASM driver and has therefore been part of the French manager’s professional circle for decades.
Previous shareholders also included the Crown Prince of Bahrain, who reportedly held around 30% from 2007, and Brazilian businessman Rafael Sportelli, who became involved in 2010. There is no documentation establishing whether both were still shareholders in 2018. The shares sold by Nicolas Todt ultimately remained within the sphere of the existing shareholders, historically centred around Fred Vasseur and Sébastien Philippe.
However, there is no public document listing the names, percentages or any specific consortium formed for that transaction. AutoHebdo described Fred Vasseur at the time as ART Grand Prix’s principal shareholder.
It is also worth remembering that Nicolas Todt, the son of Jean Todt, manages Charles Leclerc’s career through his All Road Management agency. In the past, the agency has also represented other drivers connected with ART Grand Prix, including Jules Bianchi and Felipe Massa.
Why Fred Vasseur’s outside commitments are attracting attention
None of these business interests is new in itself, and Fred Vasseur’s entrepreneurial career in motorsport predates his arrival at Ferrari by many years. The current attention instead comes from the context surrounding the team principal, with reports of internal pressure, questions over his relationship with senior management and speculation about alternative leadership options all combining to place greater scrutiny on how his time is divided.
That broader atmosphere has also contributed to recent questions over Ferrari’s internal communication and the rumours surrounding its leadership. For now, the suggestion that Fred Vasseur’s external commitments materially affect his Ferrari duties remains exactly that: a reported possibility rather than an established conclusion.
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