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Fred Vasseur has left his post as the Alfa Romeo boss and Sauber Motorsport CEO to become the new Team Principal for the Ferrari F1 team. Vasseur will be replacing Mattia Binotto, who resigned last month. The 53-year-old Swiss joined Ferrari as an engine engineer in 1995 before rising to become the Team Principal of one of the biggest F1 teams. Vasseur will take charge of his new role from January 2023.
Vasseur led Alfa Romeo to a sixth-place finish in the constructors’ championship this year which was their best finish for a decade. As per reports, he was Ferrari’s first choice to take the Team Principal position. After discussions over the past few weeks, Vasseur decided to end his six-year role at Sauber and joined Ferrari, which is one of the most high-pressure jobs in motorsport. The French international has over two decades’ worth of motorsport experience, including a stint with Renault as its Team Principal for the 2016 season.
Speaking of Fred Vasseur’s appointment, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna expressed elation and excitement and stated that the Prancing Horse hopes that Vasseur can help the team to push ahead and rectify the mistakes made this season.
He said, “We are delighted to welcome Fred Vasseur to Ferrari as our Team Principal. Throughout his career, he has successfully combined his technical strengths as a trained engineer with a consistent ability to bring out the best in his drivers and teams. This approach and his leadership are what we need to push Ferrari forward with renewed energy.”
Vasseur also talked about his new role with Ferrari and expressed that he hopes to honour the history and heritage of the Prancing Horse. He said, “I am truly delighted and honoured to take over the leadership of Scuderia Ferrari as Team Principal.”
“As someone who has always held a lifelong passion for motorsport, Ferrari has always represented the very pinnacle of the racing world to me. I look forward to working with the talented and truly passionate team in Maranello to honour the history and heritage of the Scuderia and deliver for our Tifosi around the world,” he continued.
Another major leadership change on the grid was made by McLaren as their current Team Principal Andreas Seidl joined Sauber as their new Chief Executive Officer. Replacing Seidl, Andrea Stella will move from Executive Director, Racing to F1 Team Principal with immediate effect.
