As expected since the 2022 season finale at Abu Dhabi, Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur has been announced as Mattia Binotto’s replacement at Ferrari starting from 2023.
Whilst the team and both Ferrari drivers tried to not talk about the speculation surrounding Vasseur, it was no shock to see the Maranello-based side announce the Frenchman as their new boss, effective from the 9th of January.
Vasseur will be hopeful that he can emulate fellow Frenchman Jean Todt, who led Ferrari during Michael Schumacher’s glory days.
The Scuderia will be hoping that Vasseur is the person to take them back to glory, with the Italian’s title drought dating back to 2008.
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He’s “truly delighted” to be joining the famous side and is aiming to “deliver for our Tifosi around the world”.
“I am truly delighted and honoured to take over the leadership of Scuderia Ferrari,” Vasseur said.
“As someone who has always held a lifelong passion for motorsport, Ferrari has always represented the very pinnacle of the racing world to me.
“I look forward to working with the talented and truly passionate team in Maranello to honour the history and heritage of the Scuderia and deliver for our Tifosi around the world”.
His move to Ferrari marks the end of his time with Alfa Romeo as their team principal, a role he took on in 2017 after leaving Renault.
Vasseur will, of course, be reunited with Charles Leclerc, with the Frenchman having given the Monegasque his debut back in 2018 at the Hinwil-based side.
Alfa Romeo will dearly miss the Frenchman and even released a heartfelt statement announcing his departure.
The Swiss team highlighted that a lot of their beliefs are thanks to Vasseur, with Alfa Romeo being confident that they can return to the “sharp end of the grid”.
“Progress on and off track was followed by a growing sense of confidence in Hinwil: confidence that this team could once again be at the sharp end of the grid; confidence that things would get better season after season; confidence that top talent would once again flourish in the sole reality of motorsport in the Zürcher Oberland,” the official statement by the team said.
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“This all stemmed from Fred’s own sense of confidence: not in himself, but in the project that was presented to him in 2017 – a project in which he was one of the first to believe.
“Vasseur leaves a team bolstered by new partners, a growing workforce and with a bright future as the works team for a manufacturer in the not-too-far distance.
“He leaves as a friend, a mentor, a boss that could extract the best out of his charges: and, as we enter a new chapter of the history of our team, we will miss the smiles and jokes that would accompany him as he did the rounds in our Hinwil HQ.”