Toto Wolff has revealed how Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur once tried to eat a plastic flower during the Mercedes boss’s wedding to Susie Wolff in Capri. The amusing anecdote, shared in a new biography about the French manager, offers a rare glimpse into the friendship between two of Formula 1’s leading rivals.
Frederic Vasseur’s biography was released in France at the beginning of July and is also available in Italy in its original language. Written by AutoHebdo journalist Jean-Michel Desnoues, the book is titled En Piste and explores the Ferrari team principal’s career in motorsport.
Frederic Vasseur’s Formula 1 biography
The account of Frederic Vasseur’s career contains several previously untold stories and numerous anecdotes contributed by some of the people who have known him best throughout his journey in motorsport. They include Toto Wolff, Laurent Mekies, Charles Leclerc and Jerome D’Ambrosio.
Among the stories featured in the book is one that illustrates the close relationship between Frederic Vasseur and Toto Wolff. The pair are now rivals at the head of Ferrari and Mercedes and recently had a sharp exchange over the budget cap, but their friendship stretches back 25 years.
Toto Wolff reveals Frederic Vasseur’s plastic flower mistake
Toto Wolff contributed the foreword to the book and described Frederic Vasseur as “a rival, but also one of my best friends in the paddock”. Their relationship has naturally experienced both good and difficult moments as they have become direct competitors in Formula 1.
“Sometimes we have argued, but most of the time we have laughed. Our mutual respect and our friendship have only grown stronger,” Toto Wolff wrote. Frederic Vasseur has previously explained how he and the Mercedes team principal try to separate their friendship from their battles in Formula 1.
Toto Wolff’s contribution also includes a memorable story that perfectly illustrates the familiarity between the Austrian executive and the Ferrari team principal. The incident occurred during Toto Wolff and Susie Wolff’s wedding in Capri.
“Over the years, Fred has been my travelling companion, my training partner, my tenant and also a guest at my wedding to Susie in Capri,” Toto Wolff recalled. “That day, he gave us one of its most memorable moments by deciding—after more than one glass of wine—that it would be wise to eat one of the flowers decorating the tables. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that they were made of plastic…”
It was a decidedly comical episode, but one that neatly captures the genuine friendship shared by Toto Wolff and Frederic Vasseur away from the rivalry between Mercedes and Ferrari on the track.
Leave a Reply