Fred Vasseur bewildered by Ferrari becoming a “target” of criticism after one Grand Prix in 2023
Fred Vasseur has talked about the recent perplexing situation at the Maranello-based Ferrari F1 team.
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Fred Vasseur (Credits: Sports Illustrated)
Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari F1 Team Principal, recently talked about his team becoming a target after one race in 2023. Moreover, the Frenchman has also addressed the situation of people leaving Ferrari who were close to former Team boss, Mattia Binotto. The rumor mill has been running in full swing around the Maranello-based team since the Bahrain GP.
Reports have come out that there is internal turmoil with the Ferrari ranks. It is believed that quite a few senior personnel are not happy with how things are being done on the team and are looking for a way out. For all the chaos, the fingers have pointed toward CEO Benedetto Vigna and President John Elkann.
While things are not looking pretty at Ferrari from the outside, Vasseur has come out and talked about everything that has been going on at the Maranello-based team. According to him, the speculation around Ferrari “Is inevitable. “There are people who were very close to Mattia and who prefer to leave, which doesn’t bother me. And there are others who may have feared for a moment for their future.”
Moreover, Vasseur has dismissed the rumors of not having enough power on the team. While talking about it, he said, “I have the means and the power of decision that I have never had elsewhere,” he insisted. “This is the reality of the situation!” Looking at Vassseur’s comments, it seems decision-making power on the team is not an issue for him. However, he has admitted that people close to Mattia Binotto have preferred to leave since his sudden departure. Things at Ferrari have gone haywire since the start of the 2023 F1 season, and the upcoming Saudi Arabian GP will be absolutely crucial to bring a sense of calmness within the team.
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Fred Vasseur does not agree with Ferrari’s criticism of the Bahrain GP
The Ferrari F1 team had a disappointing start to the 2023 F1 season in Bahrain. While Carlos Sainz could only secure P4 at the event, Charles Leclerc in the other SF-23 was not even able to finish the race. His outing was cut short by an abrupt electrical issue in his car on lap 41 of the race. Since the disappointing outing, Ferrari has been criticized massively, but Vasseur is perplexed. While addressing the situation, he said, “I find it difficult to understand why the team becomes a target after only one race. As far as the correlation between the simulation and the track is concerned, we are in line.”
“That’s why I asked everyone to stay focused on performance and find solutions to reliability issues because the championship is long. Just because you don’t win the first one doesn’t mean you’re offside. Bahrain was bad in some ways, and good in others!” Fred Vasseur, despite the criticism, is not willing to throw in the towel just yet.
In his opinion, Ferrari has got everything at its disposal to have a serious shot at the World Championship. Moreover, the 2023 F1 season is only a race down and still has got 22 races remaining on the calendar. He ardently believes, that Ferrari just needs to focus on the performance and reliability of the SF-23, and the rest will take care of itself. Next up on the F1 calendar is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Considering all the shenanigans that have taken place at Ferrari recently, how would the team be able to perform at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit? Would Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz be able to get the better of the Red Bull duo?
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)