Ferrari set to confirm Vasseur as new team principal

Ian Parkes
Thursday 8 December 2022 06:55

Ferrari is set to appoint Fred Vasseur as its fifth team principal in just 15 years, GPFans understands.

Scuderia chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna have identified Vasseur as the man they feel can add a degree of ruthlessness inside the team.

The Frenchman is renowned for his no-nonsense style, a factor that has been part of his tenure at Alfa Romeo since his appointment as boss, as well as managing director and CEO of Sauber Motorsport, in mid-July.

Vasseur's name has been linked with the position for a few weeks, but sources with good knowledge of the situation have confirmed the 54-year-old will replace Mattia Binotto.

Binotto recently tendered his resignation despite helping the Scuderia to the runner-up position in the F1 constructors' championship, whilst Charles Leclerc was second to Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings.

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It is the manner in which both of those were achieved, however, that led to Binotto falling on his sword rather than being pushed by Elkann after providing the Scuderia with 28 years of service.

Following a solid start from Leclerc with two wins in the first three races that promised title challenges, Ferrari and the Monégasque fell away dramatically as unreliability, strategic errors from the pit wall and driver mistakes combined to place Binotto under intense pressure.

It is understood Binotto and Elkann did not see eye to eye, leading to the 53-year-old opting to stand down and departing on December 30.

Vasseur now follows in the footsteps of Stefano Domenicali, Marco Mattiacci, Maurizio Arrivabene and Binotto in taking on what could be viewed as a poisoned chalice of a role.

Ferrari has not tasted success since its 2008 constructors' title, with its last drivers' champion being Kimi Raikkonen the year before.

There are clearly foundations in place on which Vasseur can work as Binotto at least removed the previous silo approach inside Maranello of his predecessors and pulled Ferrari together more as a working unit.

The power unit that caused so much angst during the past season is also understood to have undergone reliability fixes that prompted Haas team principal Guenther Steiner to declare it "the bomb" for the 2023 season.

Whether Vasseur's more gruff approach will work inside Ferrari after Binotto's easier-going manner remains to be seen as he seeks to emulate the golden touch of another Frenchman who last carried Ferrari to unprecedented success in Jean Todt.