New Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur reveals how Mattia Binotto helped him through the handover process

Mattia Binotto's exit from Ferrari was sealed, but he still helped Frederic Vasseur during the 'handover' process - something the Frenchman appreciated.


New Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur reveals how Mattia Binotto helped him through the handover process

Frederic Vasseur (L) and Mattia Binotto (R)

Mattia Binotto’s 28-year stint with Ferrari came to an end after the end of the 2022 season, and he was replaced by Frederic Vasseur, despite both him and the team deeming rumors of the same scenario as ‘false’. Binotto leaves behind an interesting legacy – his stint as the team principal wasn’t the best, but he is and will continue to be revered as an engineer in the future. Both by fans and rivals – which is why Ferrari have reportedly handed him a one-year gardening leave.

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They certainly could have done better in a few areas last season – and Vasseur will definitely take a look at them. While the Frenchman took Binotto’s job, it appears that there are no bad feelings between them. It’s possible that he may well have been replaced by another if the circumstances were different. This is evidenced by the fact that the old boss gave Vassuer a ‘detailed handover’.

The rumors had emerged in the latter stages of the season and were ‘fuelled’ by how Vasseur’s coy response to them. The first discussion between him and Ferrari took place after the end of the season – and not before that. As per The Race, the Frenchman said: “The process was crystal clear, even if we had some rumors into the press before Abu Dhabi or during Abu Dhabi, we didn’t discuss before. We had the first discussion the week after Abu Dhabi and it was very, very quick as a process.”

After the discussion with Ferrari, Vasseur ‘had a call’ with the man he was to replace. The two even had a discussion during the handover: “And then I had a call with Mattia, and I even met Mattia during the handover and we had a one-to-one discussion. It was thanks to Mattia for this because I appreciated the move from Mattia to stay, to wait for me, to discuss together, was really appreciated from my side.”

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Read More: Frederic Vasseur thinks it would be a ‘lack of ambition’ for Ferrari to aim for anything less than the world title in 2023′

Frederic Vasseur ‘had discussions’ with Ferrari legend Jean Todt

Frederic Vasseur (L) Jean Todt (R)
Frederic Vasseur (L) Jean Todt (R)

Apart from Mattia Binotto, Frederic Vasseur has been in contact with another former Ferrari boss: His compatriot, Jean Todt. Todt had taken over at a time when the Scuderia had not won a single world title in almost 10 years. Under him in 1999, Ferrari won their first world championship since 1983. They won a further seven Constructors’ titles in his time with the Italian team. Ferrari won their last world title in 2008 – comparable to the gap between 1983 and 1999.

However, Formula 1 is in a completely different place now than when Todt was in charge. When asked if he will take inspiration from the turnaround under his compatriot, Vasseur said: “I think that you can’t compare what’s happened 20 years ago or a bit more. Today F1 is changing. It’s a continuous change in F1, in the structure, in the size of the team, in regulations with the cost cap. I had some discussion with Jean because he stays close to the to F1 world.”

All advice is welcome, but the Frenchman feels it’s difficult to compare the two situations. He elaborated: “We chatted by WhatsApp a couple of weeks ago and I will meet him soon. All the advice is welcome for sure, but I think also it’s quite difficult today to compare the situation of 1994/95 [about when Todt took over at Ferrari] and 2022.”

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Every Ferrari fan will be hoping that Vasseur’s tenure turns out as successful as his compatriot’s was. There have been parallels drawn between the two situations, but this time, the success must come earlier – and the Frenchman has already made it clear that the team are targeting the world title in the upcoming season – there is no other alternative.

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