Fifteen years after the departure of Jean Todt, a Frenchman takes over the controls of Scuderia Ferrari. It will start in January 2023.
The French Frédéric Vasseur will be the director of Ferrari in Formula 1 from January 9, replacing the Italian Mattia Binotto, the famous Italian team announced on Tuesday.
Vasseur, 54, leaves at the same time his functions as president of Sauber and director of Alfa Romeo to join the Scuderia with the mission of reconquering the world title.
Former Renault and Sauber
Former manager of the Renault team in 2016 for the return of the French brand to F1, the Parisian engineer had taken the helm of Sauber (which drives under the name of Alfa Romeo in F1) in 2017 to continue to build a solid reputation in the paddock.
«Throughout his career, Fred has successfully combined his technical strengths as a trained engineer with a consistent ability to bring out the best in his drivers and teams.Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna said in a statement. “This approach and his leadership is what we need to drive Ferrari forward with renewed energy.“, he continued.
By appointing for the second time a Frenchman at the head of its sports management, Ferrari intends to remember the memory of the glorious years of Jean Todt (1993-2007), seven times titled among manufacturers and six times among drivers. Since 2007 and the coronation of Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari has not been titled among drivers. His last constructor title dates back to 2008.
Vasseur replaces Binotto, pushed out at the end of November after three seasons as team manager. Shortly before Ferrari’s announcement, Alfa Romeo had bid farewell to its leader: “Thank you, Fred, and good luck“, was it written in a statement welcoming “the last chapter of a personal and professional journey of growth, both for the team and for the man».
Alfa Romeo recalled that this journey ended with “his best result in the Formula 1 constructors’ standings for a decade with a sixth place in the 2022 season».