Among all the team principals on the current F1 grid, Toto Wolff and Fred Vasseur share one of the closest friendships even outside the paddock. The relationship between the two has rarely been affected by outside factors and continues to flourish despite them being rival bosses now. However, Susie Wolff reveals that while the two remain close friends with each other, their relationship isn’t as strong as it used to be.
At one point, Wolff and Vasseur were so close that there were rumors about the latter being the ‘Best Man’ at the former’s wedding. While Susie debunked the myth, she detailed that the friendship is not as close as it once was, given their roles in F1.
“He is a very close friend of Toto’s, but I would say now, in their respective positions, its probably not as close as it was.”, she said.
Susie Wolff on ‘good guy’ Fred Vasseur and his relationship with Toto Wolff :
“Fred is a very good guy and he has such a deep knowledge of the sport…he is a very close friend of Toto’s but i would say now, in their respective positions, its probably not as close as it was”… pic.twitter.com/TjH2C2qX3R
— sim (@sim3744) October 4, 2024
The Wolff-Vasseur friendship faced its biggest challenge when Lewis Hamilton announced he would be leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025. Wolff acted maturely, understanding Vasseur’s stance and claiming there was no bad blood between them.
He added Vasseur was only doing what was best for his team, and it would have no negative impact on their relationship. Meanwhile, the Frenchman is confident that his close personal terms with Wolff won’t be harmful to Ferrari’s ambitions.
The Vasseur-Wolff angle not a point of concern for Ferrari
Back in 2016, Vasseur moved to the UK to be the team principal of Renault, and in the early days of his time there, he lived with Wolff in his house. Having since taken charge of one of Mercedes‘ closest rivals, there has been a lot of discussion about the two remaining friends.
Speaking to Motorsport, Vasseur addressed the concerns while claiming that their remaining friends wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Per the Frenchman, they can use their friendship to raise a voice against any wrong step taken by the sport’s governing bodies.
However, he added that the union would not harm Ferrari‘s ambitions in any way. When necessary, Vasseur is ready to be clever enough and fight against Wolff and his team, especially out on the tracks.
