Frederic Vasseur has revealed when the first contact with Ferrari about becoming Formula 1 Team Principal was initiated. Vasseur was appointed to replace Mattia Binotto, who stepped down following a poor 2022 season, starting at Maranello in early January after leaving Alfa Romeo/Sauber. The veteran Frenchman has been tasked with delivering the first championships to the Scuderia since 2008, as well as ironing out the repeated strategic and operational failings that came to define Ferrari last season. And he has revealed how the recruitment process played out that led to the Team Principal merry-go-round in December, which was triggered by Vasseur's move to Italy.
Vasseur on Ferrari contact
"The process was crystal clear, even if we had some rumours in the press before and during [the 2022] Abu Dhabi [Grand Prix weekend]," Vasseur told media including RacingNews365.com. "We didn't discuss before that and had the first discussion the week after Abu Dhabi, and it was a very, very quick process and then I had a call with Mattia. "I even met [him] during the handover, and we had a one to one discussion, and my thanks have to go to Mattia for this because I appreciated the move from him to stay and wait for me to discuss [with Ferrari]."
Vasseur 'already stamping authority'
Vasseur, who has also ran the Renault F1 and ART Grand Prix F2 squads in his career, started at Ferrari in early January, and believes he is "already" stamping his authority over the team. "My approach to racing is that we always have to do a better job tomorrow than today," he explained. "It means that if you say: 'Okay, today the team is in a good shape', but you always need to have the mindset to say: 'We could improve in this area.' "If the question is 'when will you start', I have already started! "What I can bring to the team is probably the experience that I have after 32 years sitting on the pit-wall, and that racing spirit. "I hope I can bring that aspect to the team."
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