Fred Vasseur, the team boss at Ferrari, has candidly shared the significant challenges he faces in his leadership role, emphasising the crucial task of staff recruitment and retention.
Taking the helm at Ferrari at the beginning of the 2023 season, Vasseur became only the fourth non-Italian to lead the renowned Scuderia at their Maranello headquarters.
However, Vasseur’s tenure has not unfolded as expected, with Red Bull maintaining a considerable lead in the championship race, and Max Verstappen appearing poised to secure his third consecutive title.
Ferrari is currently engaged in a fierce battle with Mercedes and Aston Martin for second place in the standings, with drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz spearheading the Prancing Horse.
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This season marked a significant transition for Vasseur, who transitioned from leading Alfa Romeo for six years to assuming a prominent role at one of Formula 1’s top teams.
Speaking on the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, Vasseur offered insight into the paramount challenges he faces in managing such a prestigious outfit.
Surprisingly, he identified staff recruitment and retention as a primary concern.
“To not shop is to go backwards,” Vasseur acknowledged candidly. “This is the life of every single company in the world, that you have a turnover.
“We are losing perhaps 90 people a year because they want to exit Formula 1, because they are transitioning into retirement, or because they seek opportunities at other teams for family reasons.
“To maintain our competitive edge, we must bring in around 90 new team members each year.
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“This is undoubtedly one of the most significant challenges we confront, as we must expedite our recruitment efforts.”
Ferrari has suffered a fall from grace in 2023, dropping out of title contention down to P3 in the Constructors’ Standings.
Due to their early challenges, Ferrari looks unlikely to get any of its drivers into the top three of the Drivers’ Standings before the season ends, even with their recent revival in fortunes.