Frederic Vasseur was very clear last summer when commenting on Ferrari’s recruitment campaign. A recruitment process with which the Scuderia would “make noise,” aimed at strengthening the team after a disappointing start to the season that had dropped the Reds to fourth place among the constructors. Twelve months later, despite a different (better but not yet idyllic) situation, the promises made by the head of the Racing Department have been honored: since the beginning of the year, Fréd has announced the signing of Lewis Hamilton and the contract renewal of Charles Leclerc, followed by the strengthening of the technical staff.
After securing the services of 60 junior figures, taken from various teams, the technical office directed by Fred Vasseur (who had taken on the role on an interim basis after Enrico Cardile left for Aston Martin) has been bolstered, as announced, by two “top guys” from Mercedes: Loic Serra and Jerome D’Ambrosio. The former, the former performance chief of the star team, will be the technical director at Ferrari, while the latter will be the deputy team principal, as announced in September by the Scuderia itself. Starting today, October 1, these additions will officially be operational in Maranello, taking on their respective roles and joining the historic faces of the Reds, who have been promoted or reassigned in the reorganization led by Frederic Vasseur.
Franco Nugnes discussed these arrivals within the Racing Department on “Motorsport.com,” explaining how the “new” Ferrari will be structured, aiming not for revolutions but for a continuous and steady growth path, now based on clear roles (with Fred Vasseur no longer serving as interim technical director) and new ideas.
“There will be the official debut of Loic Serra in the role of technical director for the chassis department and of Jerome D’Ambrosio as deputy team principal to Fred Vasseur. The Scuderia, therefore, will take a Francophone direction since two of the top three men at GeS are French and one is Belgian. Fred will be able to relinquish the interim technical director role, but the development plan for the SF-24 will continue as per the existing schedule.”
The first day in Maranello will be immediately busy for the two former Mercedes employees, as the new technical director will be engaged in several meetings with the various department heads: Enrico Gualtieri (engine area technical director), Fabio Montecchi (chassis), Marco Adurno (vehicle performance), Diego Tondi (aerodynamics), Matteo Togninalli (head of track engineers), and Diego Ioverno (operations).
“Serra and D’Ambrosio will have the opportunity to talk with their direct reports, namely the people with whom they will collaborate more closely once they take possession of their respective offices. There will be a soft entry, without fanfare. […] Loic’s interface is a handful of very Italian engineers who have been motivated to be the heart of the Scuderia on a technical level. […] The arrival of Adrian Newey into the system built by Fred Vasseur would certainly have had very different effects because the Englishman would have demanded the arrival of his trusted collaborators, disrupting an organization that now seems cohesive and cooperative.”
Loic Serra will effectively need to gradually integrate within the Ferrari Racing Division without undermining the certainties of a workgroup that, after restoring competitiveness to the SF-24, is focused on finalizing the last package of updates for the season to challenge for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. His work will instead already be oriented toward 2025.
“The ‘Italians’ are very busy finalizing the last package of updates that will be seen on the car from the US GP. […] The American track is not very suitable for the SF-24, but simulation work indicates that there are good hopes of being competitive even in the American race. […] Loic Serra will thus have the opportunity to oversee the 677, the completely new car for next year: chassis, shorter gearbox, and front suspension layout. […] A car that will aim to challenge McLaren and Red Bull.”
The situation is different for Jerome D’Ambrosio, who, starting today, can fully operate and implement his ideas, especially in the area of the FDA.
“Tomorrow he should meet with Jock Clear, the technician who has taken care of the FDA since Laurent Mekies’ departure. There were rumors regarding the Academy that Ferrari would close that experience. […] The intention is to continue with an operational strategy that Jerome will develop.”
