Frederic Vasseur Warned of Ferrari’s Weakest Link Unlike Mercedes & Red Bull

Published 02/02/2023, 1:25 PM EST

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Mattia Binotto’s termination from Ferrari has been a surprise move for many, while some saw it coming. Even though the majority of these were rumors initially, he fell prey to the ultimate axe after the promising 2022 season ended in dismay. As the Italian team sacked Binotto after four ‘unsuccessful’ years, they brought in Frederic Vasseur from Alfa Romeo. Vasseur is yet to feel the F1 heat at Maranello. However, F1 legend Juan Pablo Montoya has a stern warning for him.

Putting his word of advice for Vasseur ahead of his Ferrari journey, the Colombian former driver told Motorsport, “One of the tricky things about Ferrari is that no one there feels confident in their job. Everyone seems to be waiting for you to do something wrong so you can get fired. At least that is the impression I have as an outsider of the situation there.”

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Comparing the Mercedes and Red Bull situation with Ferrari, Montoya further stated, “If you watch Toto Wolff, you know he’s not going anywhere. If you look at Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, you know they stay where they are. But when it comes to the Ferrari team boss, the question is again and again how long that person will last.”

Admittedly, Christian Horner also has lows in his career. Despite this, he is still in the charge of Red Bull, for a long time. Not only Montoya, but multiple personalities including F1 champion Nico Rosberg also cited the same reason as a drawback for Scuderia Ferrari.

Nico Rosberg once slammed Ferrari for the same weak link highlighted by Frederic Vasseur

As Mattia Binotto’s exit was on trend later last year, the 2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg slammed the Italian team for the same reason as Juan Pablo Montoya. The former Mercedes star driver pointed out the lack of compassion and patience coming out from the Maranello-based team.

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Talking to Gazzetta Dello Sport, Rosberg stated, “I know that continuity is a value in Formula 1.” He further stated, “I know Mercedes and Red Bull haven’t changed most of the key people for ten years or more. And that’s what Ferrari lacks.”

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The Italian team last won a driver’s championship in 2007 and a constructors’ championship in 2008. From then on, they have changed their team principal four times before Vasseur in the last nine years. However, Vasseur knows this and preparing himself for the challenge as he already pointed out Charles Leclerc’s game plan for Ferrari.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Ferrari Strategy Fails We Will Never Forget

As Vasseur is getting ready to start his first season for the most successful team in Formula 1, it’ll be interesting to see how the former Alfa Romeo man manages his job with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Can he bring the glory days back to Maranello? Only time will tell.

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Written by:

Sabyasachi Biswas

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Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 and NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. He has completed his Master's in Mass Communication and Journalism from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Sabyasachi is an ardent Red Bull and Max Verstappen fan and has been following the sport for over a decade now.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare