The Frenchman, who was many fans' top choice for the position as soon as Binotto's resignation was announced, has been with Sauber since 2017.
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Since Ferrari announced earlier this month that they had accepted team principal Mattia Binotto’s resignation, a number of names have been mentioned as potential candidates to fill the open position at the Scuderia. According to reports, Christian Horner, Ross Brawn, and Andreas Seidl were all candidates for the position of Binotto’s replacement at Ferrari, with chairman John Elkann reportedly favouring a high-profile hire. Given that Seidl joined Sauber, Brawn retired, and Horner remained loyal to Red Bull, Ferrari decided to replace Mattia Binotto with current Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur.
The Frenchman, who was many fans’ top choice for the position as soon as Binotto’s resignation was announced, has been with Sauber since 2017, so Ferrari will be getting a seasoned and proven team principal. Before he is about to join Ferrari, Peter Sauber, the founder of Sauber, has given his team principal his blessing, but he has also issued Vasseur a parting warning regarding Ferrari’s reputation.
“If you get an offer from Ferrari, you have to go,” claimed Sauber. “But if you know the history of Ferrari- back to the company founder Enzo – then you know that the team bosses usually have a short life. With the exception of Jean Todt, who ruled there for more than 12 years.”
Since Ferrari entered Formula 1, only three team principals out of 22 have held their positions for longer than Mattia Binotto’s three-year tenure. Vasseur’s appointment as Ferrari’s new manager will please Charles Leclerc, as the two forged a close bond while working together at Sauber during Leclerc’s formative years in Formula 1.
Ferrari will be hoping that an internal restructure will be able to play a key role in enabling the team to mount a more significant title charge in 2023. Ferrari will be struggling to compete with Red Bull’s consistency in 2022. There may not have been a better time for Vasseur to implement his new system at the Scuderia given that Mercedes was significantly off the pace for the majority of 2022 and Red Bull will spend next season fighting their cost cap breach penalty.
