Fred Vasseur joined Ferrari in 2023, and the signs are pointing towards an ascendency toward the front of the grid. However, his job cannot allow him to be complacent, and despite what it appears from the outside, Vasseur continues to be under a lot of pressure, as revealed by Guenther Steiner.
Steiner revealed that he got close to Vasseur during the latter’s time at Alfa Romeo. Now, looking at him running F1’s most successful team ever, Vasseur appears loose and relaxed. On the other hand, the Tifosi expects Ferrari to win, not compete for second place.
“Everybody feels the pressure at Ferrari. You cannot say, ‘Oh I prepared for it my whole life and now I’m going [to] Ferrari, I’m pressure less. It’s a whole nation on you, you know.”, Steiner said.
Vasseur took over the reins at Ferrari from Mattia Binotto, whose last season (2022) was riddled with strategic blunders and communication mishaps. The Frenchman knew he had to steady the ship and manage the Tifosi’s expectations.
Almost everyone in Italy passionately supports Ferrari. And as Steiner mentioned, it can be regarded as the only ‘National Team’ in the F1 grid. This always increases the pressure on anyone leading the team tenfold.
So far, however, Vasseur seems to be doing a good job. But seven races into the 2024 campaign, he knows that the end goal is far from being achieved.
Fred Vasseur and Ferrari look to bolster performance with upgrades
Ferrari had a slow start to the 2023 season, but with good development, they ended the season falling just short of P2. This year, on the other hand, their start has been strong.
Ferrari remains in the mix for podium results consistently, and the Maranello-based outfit already has a race win under its belt, thanks to Carlos Sainz’s P1 in Australia. Now, with more upgrades set to come in, Vasseur will be looking to make winning a more regular habit.
Fan zone with Fred #MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/EOKybl04F0
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 23, 2024
The Italian team’s main competitor isn’t just Red Bull anymore, as McLaren has entered the mix. The gap between these three teams is expected to decrease as the season goes on.
Unfortunately, Ferrari brought upgrades to Imola that didn’t work as well as they would’ve hoped. And a man as experienced as Vasseur knows that he cannot take his foot off the pedal, till Ferrari’s progress yields a championship-winning car.
