The search for the new Ferrari team principal seems to have apparently come to an end. According to information from F1-Insider.com, a decision has been made in Maranello: Frédéric Vasseur, current team principal of Alfa Romeo, will become the new Ferrari team principal. He will therefore succeed Mattia Binotto, who will leave office on December 31st, as the official announcement is expected by the end of the year. For the Frenchman, the new role as head of the Ferrari F1 Racing Division would mean both a clear career promotion and a risk.
Nonetheless, after Mattia Binotto’s resignation shortly after the last race of the 2022 Formula One season in Abu Dhabi two and a half weeks ago, the Ferrari senior management seems to have decided to focus on Frederic Vasseur’s experience.
Audi does not intend to keep Vasseur for its future project
Although Alfa Romeo will become Audi starting from 2026, the German team does not want to continue with the French manager but to appoint its own men at the top. The Ingolstadt-based company will become the majority shareholder of the former Sauber team (still Alfa Romeo for now), where Fred Vasseur has been team principal since mid-2017. However, it is no secret that the Germans still want to occupy the top positions in its future team with their own staff.
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This year, the Scuderia from Maranello took second place in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. However, a few crashes, strategy errors and technical failures prevented the team from fighting for the world championship against Red Bull. This weakness cost Mattia Binotto dearly, who resigned shortly after the end of the season.
Fred Vasseur team principal would have the difficult task of bringing the title back to Ferrari
The probable arrival of Fred Vasseur would obviously coincide with the expectations of the fans to want to see Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz fighting for the world championship in 2023 at all costs. However, this performance will not be easy. Some Ferrari insiders are expecting difficulties for Fred Vasseur, especially from within Maranello. The greatest danger could come from Charles Leclerc’s manager, Nicholas Todt. The son of former Ferrari boss and FIA president Jean Todt founded the ART Grand Prix team together with Fred Vasseur, which enjoyed great success in the lower classes and with which Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Nico Hülkenberg won titles, among others. Four years ago, however, the two partners fell out bitterly.
Fred Vasseur, who began his Formula 1 career at Renault in 2016, will be Ferrari’s fifth team principal from 2014. He also hopes his stay at Maranello will be longer than his predecessors Stefano Domenicali, Marco Mattiacci, Maurizio Arrivabene and finally Mattia Binotto. All of them failed due to the extremely high pressure for success at Ferrari.
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