It’s been roughly a year since Frederic Vasseur took office as the new Ferrari Team Principal. It was a very hectic period in F1, given the time constraints and proximity of the Bahrain tests. “It’s not a question of superstition but of Downforce.”
In defiance of superstition, Vasseur was honest and revealed the launch date for the 2024 car – February 13. It will be at the Cavallino headquarters, with the selected press following the F1. This was the opportunity to take stock of the situation. Vasseur explained several key areas in Ferrari’s annual Christmas lunch.
Before starting with lunch and taking questions from the journalists, Frederic Vasseur (together with all those present) held a moment of reflection in memory of the late Alberto Antonini. He recently passed away and, in addition to being a journalist and commentator in Formula 1, spent several years at Ferrari as head of communications.
Vasseur: “Difficult first months. I’m proud of the team’s reaction. I’ve never experienced Monza like this. Positive fan pressure”
The expectations for a team like Ferrari are always the highest. A result different from P1 in the Championship is always considered a failure. Fred Vasseur understood from the first moment he set foot in Maranello that this place was unique.
“I’m alive, and that’s good. The situation is better than last year because I arrived close to the presentation and the tests. There was so much to discover and do. It’s a process that never ends. We can always do better, but we’re in good shape.”
The Team Principal has repeatedly focused on Ferrari finishing the season on a high note while specifying that work continues. The assessment of his first year started from the end, that is, from finishing third place in the Constructors’ World Championship.
This result was disappointing, especially given the expectations of John Elkann, who, having ascertained that he could not fight for the world championship, was aiming for at least second place. As the iconic saying goes, the second place is the first losers.
Vasseur played down the situation: “And so we are the second losers,” he joked.
Regarding relations with the owners, however, Vasseur appeared calm when speaking about his discussions with the President and CEO:
“No one is happy with how the season has started. We had too many problems with reliability and performance, but what needs to be underlined is the team’s reaction.
“I don’t like statistics, but they help me in this case. We’ve had 5 Pole Positions in the last eight races, and we’ve struggled with Max on a few occasions. There’s no need for Vigna or Elkann to tell me anything about the result (P3), but I’m happy with the reaction in the last part of the season.”
There was also an opportunity to analyse the most passionate part of the role of the Ferrari Team Principal. It is often defined as the most uncomfortable position in Formula 1, due to the enormous pressure. Vasseur analysed this detail, underlining how there is pressure in every team, albeit in a different way.
Still, the pressure at the Scuderia di Maranello is different than others. “Here the pressure comes from outside, from the fans, but it is positive.”
Regarding the past, Vasseur gave an example of stressful pressure that “is experienced in small teams. Sometimes, you know that a P9 or P10 in the last race decides your future.
“I still remember the Manor in 2016, in Brazil. They finished eleventh, and the next day, the team closed.”
Something profoundly different from what you experience being at the helm of a team like Ferrari, which brings a passion that the Frenchman has never experienced before:
“I remember when I used to do events like this with a French team, there were only six journalists,” he revealed.
“I was surprised by what happened in Monza. We were coming from a bad moment after Zandvoort, but the fans had been there to support us for days before.
“There were people without tickets waiting for the pilots to give them positive energy. The weekend was incredible, right up to the podium after the race. I’ve done Monza many times, but this was undoubtedly the best.”
Vasseur: “With the stable regulations, we can think of getting closer to Red Bull, but I don’t promise anything. In Bahrain we will see where we are”
The meeting with journalists in this period is also an attempt to gather news and information about the future. The 2024 car is already being built, and as has been written several times, it will be a revolution, even if Vasseur is not very convinced about using this word.
Once again, the French Team Principal confirmed the drivers’ full involvement in the car’s development.
“We look at ourselves. We have to take a step forward, and only in Bahrain will we understand where we are in comparison to the others.”
Frederic Vasseur’s attention is entirely on Ferrari. Carlos Sainz has already spoken about a car that behaves differently in the simulator, as we have reported, which will greatly modify the nature of the SF-23.
The 2024 car will be different in terms of chassis, rear end and many other detailsThe Technical Director of Maranello Enrico Cardile spoke about how. “You use it. Maybe sometimes you change a lot about a car, but it’s not a revolution”
If we talk about expectations or promises to the fans, Vasseur immediately breaks and keeps the profile of the Maranello outfit very low.
“I’m not promising anything for Christmas; we’ll see if we can give an Easter present”, he said as a joke to make a few smiles.
“The words of his equal role in Red Bull, Christian Horner, were also reported to the former Renault man, who doubts that the Milton Keynes team can continue its dominance.
“I don’t have a crystal ball, but with the stability of the regulations, one might think that dominance like this would be difficult to continue”.
Vasseur underlined how Red Bull’s opponents got closer at the end of the season, and if they were at that level, dominance at the start of the season would be more difficult for Max Verstappen.
“When you dominate, there is the effect that you can focus on next year’s car first. But I already have so much to think about that I don’t want to focus on Red Bull”.
In Maranello, they are convinced, as Cardile said, that they have understood the weaknesses of the SF-23 project, and the interventions that Cardile’s Settebello aim to correct will be aimed at eliminating them and extracting more performance. “In Bahrain, we will see where we will be.”
Authors: Giuliano Duchessa, Paolo D’Alessandro & Andrea Vergani
Translation: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
