Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, is allegedly using his friend Loic Serra to lure Red Bull’s technical director Pierre Wache over to the Maranello.
Loic Serra currently works as Mercedes’ performance director, but Ferrari is assured they will sign him up in 2025.
Esteemed F1 journalist, Michael Schmidt, believes that the Italian team will use Serra as leverage in order to land a big swoop and sign Wache from Red Bull.
Red Bull are on course to achieve their third title win as reigning champions – with the aid of the unstoppable Max Verstappen.
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It would seem hard, therefore, for Ferrari – who are sitting in fourth in the Constructor Standings – to secure his services.
However, Schmidt believes the two Frenchmen are very good friends, who “spend hours together” talking in the paddock.
Schmidt goes so far as to say that Ferrari sees Serra as a stepping stone to signing Wache.
He said: “I believe Loic Serra was chosen carefully.
“He is one of the best friends of Pierre Wache, the technical director of Red Bull.
“The two often spend hours together in the paddock, even though they are from rival teams.
“Both are heavy smokers and chat there. I’d love to listen in on what those two say to each other.”
Schmidt says the choice to sign Serra in 2025 is a “meticulous” one on Vasseur’s part.
The German journalist remarked: “I think Vasseur is also trying to get Pierre Wache through this connection.
“From what I hear from Red Bull, [Vasseur] has been going at it and was really close [to signing Wache], or maybe he’s still trying.
“But Red Bull is quite confident that Wache will stay.”
Schmidt was complimentary regarding the headhunting tactics used by Vasseur.
He compared him to the F1 great, Jean Todt, who led Ferrari to their golden era with Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s.
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The journalist said: “It’s actually the same step Jean Todt took back then.
“It took a while for Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne to come on board. It didn’t happen overnight.
“If he succeeds, then he can truly make his mark.”