Following last season’s struggles, Ferrari were expected to improve dramatically this season and truly challenge for the title.
Their 2022 title charge was derailed by strategic blunders and reliability issues and it was expected that both of these problems would be solved under the new leadership of Fred Vasseur.
This was not the case at the Bahrain Grand Prix however, as Charles Leclerc was forced to retire from the race while running in the podium places following a power unit issue.
The Scuderia had changed the 25-year-old’s energy store before the race and the new store also failed during the race, seeing Leclerc leave the first race of the season empty handed.
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It has now been reported that Leclerc has requested a crisis meeting with Ferrari president John Elkann, with the Monegasque driver deeply concerned about his start to the season.
Gazzetta have now reported that the situation at Ferrari is not a positive one, with the atmosphere already being tense back at the factory.
There are a number of staff members such as head of concept David Sanchez who have departed the team following the Bahrain Grand Prix and it has been reported that many employees are handing their CVs out to try and move away from the Scuderia.
Another thing that has reportedly annoyed the Ferrari hierarchy is Fred Vasseur’s relationship with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
Vasseur flew to Bahrain with his rival and shared a race debrief with the Austrian, much to the displeasure of Ferrari.
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The difference between Mattia Binotto and Fred Vasseur is reportedly massive, especially due to Binotto’s engineering background, leaving many members of the team confused and uncertain according to the Gazzetta report.
Despite all of Ferrari’s early concerns, Vasseur’s job is not at risk just yet, with the Scuderia conscious of the fact that they have made changes to their team principal all too often in recent times.
Vasseur’s main aim during his time with Ferrari will be to end the team’s title drought, which dates back to 2007, but only time will tell if the Frenchman can be the man to change Ferrari’s fortunes.