Gaping Holes in Frederic Vasseur’s Management Exposed in the Light of Ferrari’s Historic Win at 24 Hours of Le Mans With One Key Difference

24 hours of Le Mans. It’s one of the most prestigious races in the motorsport world. And one of the most prestigious names in the motorsport industry won it this year – Ferrari. After a 50+ year absence from the race, the Ferrari team didn’t have many expectations of lasting 24 hours. But it did, and in grand fashion. And while the Le Mans team was exceeding its expectations, Ferrari F1 has been barely reaching the goals it set for itself. 

After quite some time, the 2022 F1 season was a good year for Ferrari. It had a car that had the potential to fight for both championships. But in true Ferrari F1 fashion, the season didn’t go according to plan & things went south. Regardless, it had positives to take from last season and build on in 2023. So far, under the leadership of Frederic Vasseur, it’s failed to do so. And veteran F1 journalist Peter Windsor provides his opinion on why it is happening.

Frederic Vasseur hasn’t succeeded yet at Ferrari

In a YouTube livestream where Peter Windsor discussed talking points leading into the Canadian GP this weekend, a viewer asked him to compare the Ferrari Le Mans team with the Ferrari F1 team, saying what a difference there is between the two. While praising the team that won Le Mans, he joked that the difference between them is that “They [Ferrari Le Mans] don’t have to beat Adrian Newey and Red Bull, I suppose.” 

Red Bull is having a cracker of a season, and after the regulation changes that came in 2022, its challengers have looked unstoppable. And the mastermind behind Red Bull’s creations is its Technical Director, Adrian Newey. The Le Mans team didn’t have to compete against him, but the F1 team does. Every single year and every single race weekend. Maybe that’s why Ferrari F1 hasn’t been able to achieve a feat as big as winning Le Mans in recent years, the last time it won the drivers’ championship being 2007.

Windsor added that Ferrari’s success is in the hands of its new Team Principal, Frederic Vasseur. Since he joined Ferrari this season, he’s had the freedom to experiment with engineers and upgrades and developments to improve the car, but according to Windsor, there have been “no signs of that happening at all.”

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Ferrari is one of the most resourceful teams on the grid, and Vasseur hasn’t used the resources to his and the team’s advantage yet. What can he do to be successful?

How can Frederic Vasseur succeed at Ferrari?

Windsor believes that even though Vasseur has had experience working with Charles Leclerc in the past, he’s not doing well in managing the driver at Ferrari. Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are excellent drivers, but Leclerc has always been called Ferrari’s “Golden Boy.” He believes that getting Leclerc a proper driving manager who tells him exactly what needs to be done can help.

As per Windsor, Leclerc must be told to watch the likes of Max Verstappen and learn from them. He needs to put what he already knows aside and look to learn from his competitors rather than just racing against them. Windsor also seems to think Ferrari can have a good weekend in Canada, given that “there aren’t many corners there.”

Will Ferrari be able to bounce back in Montreal? With a massive fanbase in Canada that will be buzzing after the team’s victory in Le Mans, Ferrari has a weekend to look forward to where it can hopefully take the fight to at least one Red Bull, if not both.

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