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Frederic Vasseur
Photo:
Florent Gooden / IMAGO / PanoramiC
The royal personalities among the Formula 1 team bosses have been clarified: Ferrari brings in Frédéric Vasseur.
The Scuderia poached the 54-year-old Frenchman from the partner team Alfa Romeo and finally wants to end the untitled time with him.
Vasseur was quoted as saying in a statement on Tuesday that he was "delighted and honored" to get what is probably the most difficult job in Formula 1.
He succeeds Mattia Binotto, who has to leave Ferrari after four hapless years at the helm.
The interplay continues
It was only on Monday that Williams surprisingly announced the retirement of the German Jost Capito as race director.
His successor is open.
At Alfa Romeo, under this brand the Swiss Sauber racing team is currently driving in Formula 1, Andreas Seidl is now traded.
McLaren confirmed Seidl's departure as team boss on Tuesday - and presented an internal successor solution with Andrea Stella.
The 46-year-old from Passau has led the British racing team since 2019 and has brought McLaren back to the extended top of Formula 1.
It is still unclear what role Seidl could play at Sauber.
It is possible that he will not be involved in day-to-day business as a team boss and will rather prepare Audi's entry in 2026.
Strategy change at Ferrari
In four years' time, Sauber will start as the Audi works team in the premier class.
The motorsport center of the Volkswagen subsidiary at the Neuburg an der Donau site is much closer to Seidl's home than the McLaren factory in Woking, England.
In addition, as a former Porsche race director, Seidl has a VW past.
At Ferrari, Vasseur's signing is a change of strategy.
After the departure of Jean Todt, who together with Michael Schumacher stood for the Scuderia's most successful Formula 1 era, all team bosses came from within the company.
Stefano Domenicali, Marco Mattiaci, Maurizio Arrivabene and most recently Binotto were promoted from within their own ranks.
But Ferrari has been waiting for another leader title since Kimi Raikkonen's World Championship triumph in 2007, at that time still under Todt's direction.
Vasseur is set to change that now.
He would "deliver for our tifosi all over the world," promised Vasseur.
The Frenchman is scheduled to take office on January 9th.
He has been team boss at Sauber since mid-2017.
Previously, he had already been race director at Renault.
