Vasseur’s sweet revolution begins at Ferrari

On Monday the schools will reopen and in Maranello he will take the chair for his first lesson Frédéric Vasseur the new Binotto of Ferrari. 56 days from the first race of the 2023 world championship, Ferrari will begin yet another organizational revolution in its history. Vasseur’s revolution, a man with a solid but by no means winning (at least in F1) racing background, will be sweet. No earthquakes are needed, just touch-ups. No need for a remodel, just a lick of paint. In short, the intervention of the last sponsor of the Football Federation is not needed. That something needed to change after last season’s mistakes was there for all to see. Those in charge thought that it was necessary to replace the boss and now we find ourselves at the dawn of a new era with a car designed and produced with the approval of those who no longer exist. The 2023 single-seater, codenamed 675, will be presented on 14 February and a few days later it will already be on the track with one obligation: to stay in the fight for the World Championship until the end. Vasseur’s Ferrari has an obligation to be successful, to fight to the end for the championship. If the man who brought the Scuderia to second place is chased away, it is because they want to improve on that result or, at least, stay in the fight until the last race of the season. Once upon a time in Maranello revolutions were expected if you lost the championship in the last race. Today it’s almost a dream to get at least that far. Montezemolo was kicked out because Ferrari also had to win on the track. Almost nine years and three Team Principals later, we are realizing that winning in Formula 1 is not that easy and we almost regret those world championships lost in the last race.
There are already several dossiers on Vasseur’s table, the first Frenchman in charge after the Todt era. Ferrari must regain political weight, manage the drivers better, get the strategies right, plan real developments for the single-seater. Vasseur knows everyone in the paddock, he was even a witness at Toto Wolff’s wedding, but it’s one thing to deal with the big guys if you represent a small team that will never be able to annoy Red Bull or Mercedes, another will be to arrive on the track dressed in red with the world ready to trip you. The new Ferrari Team Principal has already spent a couple of days in Maranello getting to know the key men and taking stock of an environment decidedly different from the one he has always frequented in the past, working in teams that assembled chassis and engines with one main task: to find resources and make ends meet. His specialty has always been to blow up the necessary money, perhaps even preferring a Chinese driver to an Italian protected (not enough) by Ferrari. Here at Ferrari the only thing you don’t need is to get the money because there is plenty of it. In the meantime, we will soon verify if he has learned Todt’s first lesson: to introduce himself immediately speaking in Italian.
The first problem to be solved will be politics, on the 2026 engine regulation. Binotto’s Ferrari rightly opposed that Red Bull Powertrains could be considered a new manufacturer with all the advantages that would derive from that condition. Being a structure born around the department that managed Honda engines in Europe, it would be too big a favor. A big difference compared to Audi which instead will benefit from that status with more investments and more dyno hours available. It will be a good political battle. The first test of strength by Vasseur who, compared to Binotto, should in any case enjoy greater support from the company, especially from the CEO Benedetto Vigna who is having fun like a child playing with racing cars.
At that point Vasseur will be called upon to fill the gaps that emerged during Binotto’s management, starting with the management of strategies on the track. And here Vasseur comes from the only team that has done worse than Ferrari in reading races in recent seasons. In short, it is better not to take anyone with you, but try to improve the structure at your disposal. We need someone who can interpret the engineers’ indications and the pilots’ wishes in the best possible way. “Ferrari should sign Vettel,” an old friend who was a Formula 1 driver by profession threw me out there a few weeks ago. Vettel would be a great idea. Seb is in love with Ferrari, he has an infinite passion and could play the role in Ferrari that was Lauda in Mercedes, bring to the wall the experience of a four-time world champion, help in strategic choices and at the same time help Vasseur in management of the two pilots who are friends for now but always remain each other’s first enemy. Think about Maranello, a Vettel in the Lauda version would also serve to have a face esteemed and respected by all to spend anywhere. It will be a very delicate season. Leclerc will no longer be allowed to make mistakes from last year, Sainz will no longer be granted the adjustment period he had in 2022. Not only Vasseur will be under scrutiny, but the whole Scuderia called to win. And also those who wanted this revolution as sweet as it is.