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Despite $6,000,000 Hurdle, Vasseur’s Firing Inevitable as Borrowed Failures Destine Him For Binotto-like Fate

Published 09/13/2023, 10:30 AM EDT

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via Imago

The highly competitive nature of F1 does not leave any room for a single misstep. Currently, there are four teams fighting for the second and third positions in the constructors table and it’s anybody’s game at the moment. So even a single mistake will have mega repercussions. In fact, as Ferrari fell down to fourth in the table, there are serious and damaging reports coming out of Maranello. Grave and damaging, especially for team principal Frederic Vasseur and CEO Benedetto Vigna.

As we all know Ferrari let go of the long-term boss and one of their oldest employees Mattia Binotto after a failed 2022 season. However, even in the failed season, the Scuderia finished second behind Red Bull in the overall standings. The team went under a revamp, hired Vasseur, and is paying him a massive $6 million a year to see him end the drought. The result? Ferrari is now fourth in the standings, fighting to climb up the ladder.

via Reuters

This scenario has made journalist Umberto Zapelloni issue a damaging report at the expense of Vasseur and CEO Vigna as reported by Scuderia Fans. “There was a whisper going around for a few days. A big thing […] concerning Ferrari and their lack of results. There is talk of two heads ready to roll before the end of the year, those of CEO Benedetto Vigna and Team Principal Fred Vasseur. Rumors come and go. One day they become significant, the next they disappear.”

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“A year ago, it happened with Binotto, and we saw how that ended […]. Today, these rumors are even more significant because they would mean decapitating the company and starting from scratch once again, despite excellent industrial results,” Zapelloni suggests.

These are some concerning reports at the expense of Vasseur. However, it feels like the French boss might tackle them like he tackles all the other rumors and reports.

Charles Leclerc reveals the protective Ferrari bubble created by Frederic Vasseur

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There have been many reports and rumors about Ferrari in the last few months. About their performances, their drivers, and even their team personnel back in Maranello. However, Vasseur has effectively kept all the noise away from the Ferrari garage by creating a bubble where only positivity flows and only important discussions about the race are conducted.

via Imago

Ferrari man Charles Leclerc revealed the existence of this bubble. He said, “I think we’ve created a bubble where we don’t let what’s happening outside influence us too much, and that’s really good. I think Fred was really on board and immediately understood that the media could influence the team in some way in the past, and that was one of the focus areas at the beginning of the year.”

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Sometimes staying in a bubble can be more beneficial if it keeps the team’s morale high and the drivers focused. Unconventional, but kudos to the Frenchman.

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Written by:

Mahim Suhalka

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Mahim Suhalka is a senior F1 Author at EssentiallySports. Having written over 1000 articles, Mahim specializes in core sports coverage. Having followed the sport for a long time, his articles contain excellent analysis of the sport and he dives deeper into the technicalities of this complex sport.
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Edited by:

Aishwary Gaonkar