The French Frederic Vasseur will be from January 9 the new director of Ferrari, instead of Italian Mattia Binotto, announced on Tuesday the famous Italian Formula 1 team, which is seeking its first drivers’ title since 2007.
Vasseur, 54 years old, will be the second Frenchman to take the reins of the mythical Italian formation, after the glorious period of jean todt between 1993 and 2007, which won the constructors’ championship seven times and the drivers’ championship six times.
Also read: They reveal delicate injuries of an Arab player in the game against Argentina
The task that awaits him in his new position, which he will occupy since the beginning of January, is announced to be complicated: to return the most successful team in the king of motor sports to the top after a long title drought: Ferrari does not win a constructors’ world championship since 2008 and the last rider to be world champion dressed in red was the Finn Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.
Happy and honored to take over the management of Scuderia Ferrari
“Happy and honored to take the lead of Scuderia Ferrari,” Vasseur said in a statement on Tuesday, declaring that he was “looking forward to working with the talented and truly passionate team at Maranello to honor the history and heritage of the Scuderia and deliver results.” to our Tifosi from all over the world”.
Against Red Bull and its current world champion for the second consecutive year, the Dutchman Max Verstappen, Vasseur will have the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, 25, and the Spanish Carlos Sainz, 28.
The former head of Renault
Former leader of the Renault team in 2016 in the return of the French brand to Formula 1, the Parisian engineer took over Sauber (Alfa Romeo in F1) in 2017 to continue building a solid reputation in the ‘paddock’. At Sauber, the Frenchman already worked in 2018 with Charles Leclerc, during the Monegasque’s first year in Formula 1.
“Throughout his career Fred successfully combined his technical skills as a trained engineer with a constant ability to get the best out of his drivers and their teams,” Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna explained in a statement. “This way of working and his leadership is what we need to move Ferrari forward with renewed energy,” he added.
Vasseur replaces Mattia Binotto, who stepped down at the end of November after three seasons as team principal.
Shortly before Ferrari’s announcement, Alfa Romeo had fired its manager: “Thank you Fred and good luck,” he wrote in a statement celebrating “the latest chapter of a personal and professional journey of growth, both for the team and for the man.” .
Alfa Romeo recalled that its journey ended with “the best result in the Formula 1 constructor’s standings for a decade, sixth place in the 2022 season.”
Before his departure, Vasseur also secured the future of the Sauber structure by sealing a promising partnership with German engine manufacturer Audi starting in 2026.
Champion with Hamilton and Rosberg
Born on May 28, 1968 in Draveil, in the Paris region, Vasseur studied engineering specializing in mechanical sports at ESTACA (Superior School of Aeronautical Techniques and Automobile Construction). After obtaining his diploma, in 1996 he founded the ASM team and stands out as a talent scout.
In 2004, the team changed its name to ART GP and this allowed it to forge an upward career towards success. In 2005, the year the GP2 Series competition was created, ART GP won the drivers’ title with Nico Rosberg and the manufacturers’ title, in this prelude to Formula 1, of which Formula 2 is the heir.
A year later, under the orders of Vasseur, the British Lewis Hamilton won his GP2 title, which allowed him to ascend to the elite in 2007, where he would win seven world titles between 2008 and 2020.
A friend for many years of Toto Wolff, patron of the Mercedes team, Fred Vasseur will now be one of his main rivals, leading one of the best current teams together with Red Bull.
More sports news
#Formula #Fred #Vasseur #sports #director #Ferrari