Charles Leclerc discusses what Frederic Vasseur ‘brings’ to Ferrari

Charles Leclerc, who previously worked with Frederic Vasseur, discusses what Vasseur brings to the table - and a thing he was 'very impressed' by.

Charles Leclerc discusses what Frederic Vasseur ‘brings’ to Ferrari

Charles Leclerc (L) | Frederic Vasseur (R)

Frederic Vasseur got to work at Ferrari back in January, and since then, as any team principal, has been ‘imprinting’ his own signature on the organization. The Frenchman will have big expectations on his shoulder, and as the ‘public figure’ of the F1 team, he will receive flack, like Mattia Binotto did, if they mess up. So, for his and the team’s sake, he will be hard at work sorting the issues out.

One of these is reliability, which let Ferrari down on multiple occasions in 2022. But perhaps even more importantly, there’s the strategic aspect. Perhaps the Monaco Grand Prix was the best (or worst) example of this. Charles Leclerc, who started on the pole, only finish fourth. This happened because Red Bull outsmarted them on strategy, and they pit him too late the first time. This was prime amongst a host of examples. The Frenchman has previously discussed that he’s analyzing the various problems.

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It’s been over a month since Vasseur first took over at Ferrari. Leclerc, who’s worked with him two times before at ART Grand Prix (F3) and Sauber, is impressed by his new boss. As per Autosport, the Monegasque said: “I was very impressed by how well he introduced himself in the team. Ferrari is very different to whatever we are used to before. Ferrari is huge. And once he got here, he understood extremely well the way Ferrari works from the first few days.”

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Charles Leclerc points out one of Frederic Vasseur’s best qualities

Frederic Vasseur (L) and Charles Leclerc (R)
Frederic Vasseur (L) and Charles Leclerc (R)

Frederic Vasseur is replacing Mattia Binotto at Ferrari. While the latter was widely respected for his technical knowledge, Vasseur has his own strengths. Binotto started at Ferrari in 1995 when he joined the engine department, and rose through the ranks to become CTO and then team principal. So he was a wizard in this regard, and the Scuderia will miss his expertise. But Vasseur, who will also serve as ‘General Manager’, is no slouch, and hiring him has its own advantages.

One of these is his good relationship with Charles Leclerc, and even Carlos Sainz (who Vasseur wanted at Sauber). But as Leclerc says, he has other strengths. The Monegasque described them: “He’s very clear in what he wants and he’s extremely good at putting the people in the right mindset and in the right ambiance to give their best. And this is very important. So, that’s what he brings to Ferrari and I’m sure it will be a good thing.”

Both parties will hope that Vasseur’s move to Ferrari bears fruit, and the Maranello team get their hands on the trophy once again. The goal in 2023 is to win the world championship – and the Frenchman will have to identify and sort out the team’s issues before hoping to match up to the likes of Red Bull. That is, consistently.

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