Vasseur, 54, will be the second Frenchman to take the reins of the legendary Italian formation, after the glorious period of Jean Todt between 1993 and 2007, who won the constructors’ championship seven times and the drivers’ championship six times.
The task that awaits him in his new position, which he will occupy since the beginning of January, is announced to be complicated: to return the most successful team in the king of motor sports to the top after a long title drought: Ferrari does not win a constructors’ world championship since 2008 and the last rider to be world champion in red was the Finn Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.
“Happy and honored to take the lead of Scuderia Ferrari,” Vasseur said in a statement on Tuesday, declaring that he was “looking forward to working with the talented and truly passionate team at Maranello to honor the history and heritage of the Scuderia and deliver results.” to our Tifosi from all over the world”.
Against Red Bull and its current world champion for the second consecutive year, the Dutchman Max Verstappen, Vasseur will have the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, 25, and the Spanish Carlos Sainz, 28.
Former leader of the Renault team in 2016 in the return of the French brand to Formula 1, the Parisian engineer took over Sauber (Alfa Romeo in F1) in 2017 to continue building a solid reputation in the paddock.
At Sauber, the Frenchman already worked in 2018 with Charles Leclerc, during the Monegasque’s first year in Formula 1.
Vasseur replaces Mattia Binotto, who stepped down at the end of November after three seasons as team principal.
Shortly before the Ferrari announcement, Alfa Romeo had fired its manager: “Thank you Fred and good luck,” he wrote in a statement celebrating “the latest chapter of a personal and professional journey of growth, both for the team and for the man.” .
Alfa Romeo recalled that its journey ended with “the best result in the Formula 1 constructor’s standings for a decade, sixth place in the 2022 season.”
Before his departure, Vasseur also secured the future of the Sauber structure by sealing a promising partnership with German engine manufacturer Audi starting in 2026.