Fifteen years after the departure of Jean Todt, a Frenchman comes again to the bedside of the prancing horse. Frédéric Vasseur will be the director of Ferrari in Formula 1 from January 9, the famous Italian team announced on Tuesday.
Vasseur, 54, leaves at the same time his functions of president of Sauber and director of Alfa Romeo to join the Scuderia with the mission of reconquering the world title with the pilots Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Former manager of the Renault team in 2016 for the return of the French brand to F1, the Parisian engineer had taken the helm of Sauber (which drives under the name of Alfa Romeo in F1) in 2017 to continue to build a solid reputation in the paddock.
“A constant ability to bring out the best”
“Throughout his career, Fred has successfully combined his technical strengths as a trained engineer with a consistent ability to bring out the best in its pilots and its teams. This approach and his leadership is what we need to drive Ferrari forward with renewed energy,” Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna said in a statement.
By appointing for the second time a Frenchman at the head of its sports management, Ferrari may remember to remember the glorious years of Jean Todt (1993-2007), seven times titled among manufacturers and six times among drivers. Since 2007 and the coronation of Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari has not been titled among drivers. His last title with the constructors dates back to 2008. Vasseur replaces Binotto, who was pushed out at the end of November after three seasons as team manager.