“I had lunch with Fred Vasseur. Obviously, at Montana. He paid the bill,” with these words, Italian journalist Leo Turrini introduces his interview with the team principal of Ferrari. An interview in which the Frenchman touched upon the present and the near future, also delving into two topics that have been widely discussed in recent months: driver renewals and the revolving door of engineers.
Leo Turrini’s interview with Fred Vasseur
“We will win when Verstappen and Perez take each other out. Maybe it will happen sooner than expected…” Fred Vasseur jokes, immediately prompted by Leo Turrini about the chances of success for the Prancing Horse during the season. Then he becomes serious and adds, “Well, we are all working towards that goal, of course. We have made progress, last Sunday in Austria we were the second force, behind Red Bull.”
Looking ahead to Silverstone, however, the French team principal prefers to set modest expectations: “I’m being honest, and I can say that with the very fast corners, the British track is not the most suitable for us. On the other hand, there will be occasions where we will fare better. For example? Budapest and Singapore.”
One of the most interesting topics at Ferrari for quite some time has been the renewal of the drivers. When asked about it, the Frenchman responds: “May I ask a question? When does Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes expire? In a few months, at the end of 2023. And Lewis still hasn’t decided what he will do. We have an agreement with Charles and Carlos until the end of 2024. Now, at the beginning of the season, I told our drivers that we would only discuss contracts from the end of July, during the summer break of the World Championship. I hope they both stay.”
And regarding their performance in the 2023 Formula 1 championship: “They don’t have a car to win races. This obviously generates frustration for those behind the wheel. During the winter, Charles and Carlos had different expectations.”
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Another recently hot topic is the market for engineers. “So, is it true that you have hired a top engineer, but you can’t reveal the name yet?” Leo Turrini asks Fred Vasseur. The Frenchman responds: “Allow me to explain: Formula One has always had a very intense turnover. We make our own hires, others make theirs, it’s all normal.” The journalist tries again: “But, let’s put it this way, have you hired an important engineer for the future of the team or not?” Vasseur confirms without providing further details: “Yes, but I won’t tell you the name. We will announce it when the person in question is free from their current commitments.”
On the other hand, the current sporting director, Laurent Mekies, will leave Maranello and join AlphaTauri. Leo Turrini asks Frederic Vasseur: “What’s the point of keeping him on the pit wall?” The Ferrari boss explains: “There are negotiation strategies, market factors. But once Mekies informed us that he was leaving, rest assured that he was excluded from the information regarding our technical development.”
Finally, Fred Vasseur is asked about 2024. He responds that the Maranello team is already working on the new car: “Cardile is the technical director and responsible for the chassis, Gualtieri and his group handle the power unit, Tondi takes care of the aerodynamics.” “They are your men,” Turrini emphasizes. Fred Vasseur quickly grasps the meaning of the observation and states, “My task is to protect those who serve Ferrari. Everything is nice here, but naturally, there is a pressure that doesn’t exist elsewhere.” – the Frenchman concluded.
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