Ferrari returned to French control – Sport – Kommersant

The Ferrari Formula 1 team announced on Tuesday that Frederic Vasseur will become its new leader. The Frenchman will replace Mattia Binotto as Scuderia boss, whose resignation was announced at the end of November. Vasseur became the third non-Italian to be entrusted with the management of the most popular racing team in the world. The last legionnaire in the leadership of Ferrari was the famous Jean Todt, under whom the team became the hegemon of Formula 1 for years.

On Monday, with a difference of half an hour, two Formula 1 teams issued press releases about changes in their leadership. Alfa Romeo was the first to announce that its director Frederic Vasseur had resigned. Next came a release from Ferrari about the hiring of Mr. Vasser to the director’s post at the Scuderia.

The Ferrari statement notes that the 54-year-old Vasseur is the right manager to take Ferrari forward because of his engineering and management skills. Note that Vasser’s appointment to Ferrari did not become a sensation. He had been married there for several months, and on Monday, the founder of the Sauber team (until the end of the championship in 2023 it will perform under the Alfa Romeo brand, and then become the Audi factory team) Peter Sauber actually confirmed that the issue with Vasser’s transition was resolved. Mr. Sauber noted that “if an offer comes from Ferrari, it has to be accepted.”

Mr. Vasseur will start working at Ferrari on January 9th. After all the cases are handed over by his predecessor, Mattia Binotto. The latter’s dismissal was announced at the end of November, less than ten days after the end of the 2022 World Cup. For Ferrari it started very promisingly. Ferrari leader Charles Leclerc won two of the opening three races and was considered a real contender for the title. Fans expected at least a fight for the championship title. However, if Ferrari’s main competitor, Red Bull, progressed during the season, the Italians froze in place, and at times even took steps back, making strange tactical mistakes. As a result, Leclerc took only second place, a whopping 146 points behind championship winner Max Verstappen.

Frédéric Vasseur will become Ferrari’s third foreign-born director and 19th director overall. “Scuderia” traditionally adheres to the policy of hiring Italian leaders. Usually they did not stay long in the team – a couple of years passed between appointment and dismissal. In 1971–1972, the team was led by the Swiss Peter Shetty. And from 1994 to 2007, the Scuderia was managed by compatriot Vasseur Jean Todt, who turned the Scuderia into a Formula 1 hegemon. It was under Todt that Michael Schumacher appeared at Ferrari and issued a series of five championships won at the beginning of the 2000s (2000-2004).

Alexander Petrov