In October 2014 Sergio Marchionne assumed the role of Ferrari president, taking an ever greater interest in the events of the Maranello team, so much so that he showed up at Formula 1 meetings to defend the company’s interests and also imposing his vision on the team’s activities at the track.
Sergio Marchionne was the one who decided to give Maurizio Arrivabene the role of team principal, as well as the choice to bring Alfa Romeo back into the sport, in a partnership with Sauber which provided a seat on the grid for an Italian driver – Antonio Giovinazzi, which was desired by the Italian-Canadian businessman.
As is known, the Chairman and CEO of Ferrari died prematurely in July 2018, and the presidency went to John Elkann.
On the occasion of the the agreement between Sauber and Ferrari for supplying power units and for the use of the Alfa Romeo brand, Sergio Marchionne met Frederic Vasseur.
La Regione (a daily newspaper in the city and province of Ourense) has reported in recent months of the relationship that was created between the two: “Sergio Marchionne loved Fred Vasseur very much, he appreciates his frankness. A close relationship was born between the two, with WhatsApp messages at any time of day or night, in perfect Marchionne style. But that’s not all, because “when Maurizio Arrivabene was close to Ferrari, Sergio Marchionne wanted the Frenchman to Ferrari. He asked him in the Ferrari lounge at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show”, in a discussion that will include the Kimi Raikkonen – Charles Leclerc ‘exchange’ between the two teams and the idea of strengthening the Sauber Group, just four months before his death.
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The Swiss newspaper went into the details of the meeting: “Fred Vasseur was called to a personal interview with Sergio Marchionne who at the Ferrari stand, in the back offices, asked him to take the place of Maurizio Arrivabene, with Mattia Binotto in charge of the engineering part. Fred Vasseur said he was willing to move to the Maranello team, despite having just recently taken charge of Sauber”.
However, the project did not materialize because “Andrea Agnelli called Sergio Marchionne advocating for the figure of Maurizio Arrivabene and Marchionne postponed everything until the end of the season, passing away in July 2018”. The tragic disappearance of the Ferrari president thus led to Fred Vasseur remaining at Alfa Romeo until now: following the lack of confidence from the senior management towards Mattia Binotto, the French manager has been promoted to the role of Ferrari team principal.
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