Fred Vasseur Is on a Mission to Eradicate This One Problem From Ferrari’s Past

Fred Vasseur Is on a Mission to Eradicate This One Problem From Ferrari’s Past

Fred Vasseur took over as Ferrari’s Team Principal in 2023 and to improve the outfit’s on-track performance, he needed to get rid of the ills that persisted and grew under previous boss Mattia Binotto. Ferrari had a toxic blame culture within the stable which hampered its sense of direction while developing the car.

Vasseur is a leader who has taken issue by the scruff of its neck and will only let go when it is resolved.

Speaking to Financial Times, the Frenchman outlined his “aggressive approach” with Ferrari and detailed how he will take the blame for anything that goes wrong. It will allow the staff in Maranello to work more freely.

“It’s my job to manage this; to push them to be a bit more aggressive. Then, to take on the mistakes when we are making mistakes,” Vasseur said.

“If you are scared about the capacity of taking risks, you take margins everywhere. “And in our business, you can have five cars in one-tenth of a second… The more we take risks, the better we will be in the management of risks.”

Vasseur has a long way to go to make Ferrari Championship contenders again. But the work he has put in so far is commendable. Results are showing on paper, and Ferrari as an outfit seems to be making fewer mistakes. However, if they do, Vasseur will face the consequences himself, even if the top management confronts him.

Vasseur to meet John Elkann and Co.

Ferrari won two out of the first seven F1 races in 2024 and was regularly in contention for a top-three finish. Over the last few weeks, however, Mercedes and McLaren have outjumped the Maranello-based outfit in terms of performance and this concerns Ferrari President John Elkann.

Per reports, Vasseur will soon be meeting Elkann and senior members of the management. The agenda for the same will be the drastic dip in form Ferrari suffered, and short-term measures to fix it.

Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari will also be a topic of discussion in the reported meeting.

Vasseur’s job, meanwhile, is not at risk. Still, he remains answerable for the team’s shortcomings which is where a principal should stand.

 

 

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
ferrari Fred Vasseur

About the author

Avatar photo

Naman Gopal Srivastava

Naman is an F1 writer at The SportsRush. Initially a football fanatic who worships Puyol and Leo Messi, Naman soon fell in love with the world of F1 upon reading about Jim Clarke. While the current era drivers do fascinate him, Naman still chooses to idolize Clarke and Ayrton Senna. When he is not busy watching the highlights of some of the greatest races of his idols, Naman can be found scribbling little snippets in his diary of poems or out in the town, exploring new places to eat.

Don’t miss these