Fred Vasseur like Jean Todt
“We will make noise.” That’s what Frederic Vasseur had predicted about Scuderia Ferrari’s aggressive approach in terms of technical staff market. The Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari had recently hinted at the arrival of a ‘top guy’ who would accept the move to Italy, and all signs point to Mercedes’ Performance Director, Loic Serra.
After some resistance from Mercedes, who was even prepared to consider legal action to delay Loic Serra’s departure, it appears that the two parties have reached an agreement, and an official announcement from the Brackley-based team is expected soon. Nevertheless, the gardening leave will force Loic Serra to endure a significant waiting period before he can wear the red polo shirt.
According to reports from the German news magazine ‘Auto Motor und Sport’, Loic Serra’s gardening leave will last for 18 months, as previously predicted, without any sudden acceleration to reduce the waiting period from 18 to 6 months. Loic Serra has a close relationship with his fellow countryman, Pierre Waché, the Technical Director of Red Bull and one of Frederic Vasseur’s main targets.
For now, the Milton Keynes-based team has rejected Ferrari’s offers for several high-profile figures in their technical staff, including aerodynamicist Enrico Balbo. Just like Jean Todt did, Frederic Vasseur is trying to rally all possible allies to assemble a top-notch technical staff capable of bringing Ferrari back to the top of the category. Red Bull’s Team Principal, Christian Horner, has repeatedly stated that no top-level engineer will leave Red Bull to join Scuderia Ferrari.
The German publication confirms that, for now, Pierre Waché does not seem inclined to follow his friend Loic Serra to Maranello, but Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur’s pressure will continue in the coming months.
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