Former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle, currently working as a TV commentator for Sky Sports F1, did not seem convinced about Ferrari’s decision to name Frederic Vasseur as new team principal.
The Alfa Romeo boss moves to Maranello to take over from Mattia Binotto, who is leaving the Italian side after almost three decades, having lost the confidence of Ferrari chairman John Elkann and Ferrari chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna.
Yet Sky Sports co-commentator Martin Brundle feels this mai not be the ideal decision, pointing to the Frenchman’s record in Formula 1 as team boss:
“One of the toughest jobs for me in sport is team principal of Ferrari,” said Martin Brundle when asked about the Italian side’s restructuring process – “Of course, we know they’ve let Mattia Binotto go, a lifer really at Ferrari, and Fred Vasseur comes in, and that’s a tall order. He’s got a strong history in motorsport of success, mostly in spec formulas of junior racing. Has he done amazing things at Alfa Romeo where you think ‘Wow, he’s on his way through to a really top job?’ Not really. But we’ll see if he’s got the skills required to take Ferrari in the right direction.” – the former Formula One driver explained, as reported by Sky Sports F1.
A lot has been said about the relationship between Frederic Vasseur and Charles Leclerc after the two worked together in GP3.
The Monegasque driver even made his Formula One debut under the guidance of the French manager at Sauber in the 2018 F1 season.
Martin Brundle points out that the close relationship between Frederic Vasseur and Charles Leclerc should not be a key factor when making such a decision:
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“If they’ve taken Vasseur on because he is close or was close to Leclerc, it’s completely the wrong reason,” added Brundle. “It’s a massively bigger job than that.
“At Ferrari, they’ve got Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc – one of the finest driver pairings in Formula 1 – and they both need to feel comfortable and loved and supported. Fred won’t be going there thinking ‘I’m with Charles’. They’ve got a better chance of keeping Leclerc into the future if he’s comfortable, but it’s all about performance. It’s not about who’s friendly with who in this business, quite the opposite actually. It’s really, who can give him a championship potential car and team. Whether he raced with Vasseur and won junior championships, as his younger brother does as well, that’s by the by.” – the Sky Sports co-commentator concluded.
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