Who was the first ever Scuderia Ferrari F1 principal?
Follow Us
Scuderia Ferrari has had a long list of Team Principals
Scuderia Ferrari is the most successful team in Formula 1. The Italian squad is also the only team to have raced in every single season in F1 since the sport’s inception in 1950. The Prancing Horse has won 16 Constructors’ championships and 15 Drivers’ championships and to accomplish this, the team needed good senior management, having a team principal(s) who knows how to lead the team to victory and Ferrari sure has had quite a few of them in its long history.
Now, the answer to this question is not clear-cut. Formula 1 started in 1950, however, Enzo Ferrari started his racing endeavors long before that, and as a result the first Ferrari (albeit non-F1) Team Principal/Sporting Director was Enzo’s nephew Renzo Saracco Ferrari, who led the team for a short stint between 1929 to 1930. But technically Saracco never actually led the Ferrari F1 team simply as the sport didn’t exist at that time.
So when it comes to Formula 1, the first Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari was Federico Giberti, who took this role in 1947 and continued to head the Prancing Horse for the first two seasons of the newly inaugurated Formula 1 world championship. The two world drivers’ championship seasons in 1950 and 1951, led by Giberti were marked by Alfa Romeo’s fierce performances proving a true challenge to Maranello. Giberti played a crucial role in the legacy of the Prancing Horse.
Also Read: What does “black magic” mean in F1 and how it practically cost Lewis Hamilton the championship?
The newly-appointed Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal
On December 13, 2022, Scuderia Ferrari finally announced Frederic Vasseur as the new Team Principal, as a replacement for departing Mattia Binotto. Vasseur took upon the lucrative offer from Maranello after Mattia Binotto’s shock resignation and was previously leading the Alfa Romeo team in the sport. Frederic’s appointment was met positively by the fans, the Frenchman has previously worked with Charles Leclerc during the Monegasque’s time in the junior series and his rookie season at Sauber.
However, Ferrari has had a long history of swapping out the team bosses after not getting success every few years or so. In the Hybrid era of the sport which started in 2014, the Italian squad has seen 4 team principals leaving the team; Stefano Domenicali, Marco Mattiachi, Maurizio Arrivabene, and now Mattia Binotto. Even though these exits are made by Ferrari in a bid to get someone who does bring in results, such unstable management only hampers the team’s productivity and could even lead to adverse effects heading into the future.
In comparison, Red Bull and Mercedes have not changed their Team Principals since 2005 and 2013 respectively, and their results are proof of a stable management structure does deliver rewards. Alas, it does not seem like Maranello will change its attitude regarding this, with Frederic being tasked to work on the progress made by the Italian squad and win the 2023 title. Vasseur’s entry will bring in a new working atmosphere at Scuderia Ferrari, which the team must capitalize on to charge itself to finally win its first world title since 2008.
Stay Updated!
Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)