Toto Wolff recently claimed that Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur is his best friend among all of his rival team principals despite the Prancing Horse poaching Lewis Hamilton from his side. However, the Austrian did admit that his relationship with the Frenchman is “a bit rough” since they are competitors.
In a video uploaded by Sky Sports F1, Wolff said, “I think, I really have a good relationship with Fred Vasseur. We’ve been friends for a long time. It’s getting a bit rough now as direct competitors but I think this comes with the job.”
However, Vasseur isn’t the only team principal in the paddock that Wolff shares an affinity with. The 52-year-old also named McLaren CEO Zak Brown as someone he holds a very strong relationship with. Wolff remarked that he and Brown have “a really similar mindset” but are very fierce competitors once their teams are battling each other.
Wolff and Brown have been active voices against Red Bull in the recent past. Both the rivals have raised questions over the integrity of the Red Bull – V-CARB partnership and more recently urged for more transparency in the Christian Horner saga.
Vasseur further strains his friendship with Wolff after poaching more Mercedes members
Soon after poaching Lewis Hamilton, Fred Vasseur is looking to sign more members from the Mercedes team that could further strain his relationship with Toto Wolff. The latest individual to sign for the Italian outfit is Jerome d’Ambrosio, who is currently serving as the head of Driver Development at Mercedes.
Reports (circulating on X (formerly Twitter) claim that Vasseur has signed d’Ambrosio to lead the Ferrari Driver Academy. This comes as a major blow for Mercedes as d’Ambrosio was considered by many as Wolff’s successor. Now, it will be interesting to see if any more Mercedes members follow in Hamilton’s footsteps and join Ferrari in 2025.
