Formula 1: Vasseur leaves Alfa Romeo and becomes team boss Ferrari

Ferrari has appointed Frédéric Vasseur as the new team boss of the Formula 1 team. The 54-year-old Frenchman succeeds Mattia Binotto, who recently decided to leave the Italian racing team.

Vasseur joins from Alfa Romeo, where he has led for the past six years. With drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, he finished sixth in the constructors’ championship last season, the team’s best result in the past ten years.

Ferrari gets new Formula 1 team boss

At Ferrari he will manage drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Leclerc finished second in the world championship that year behind Max Verstappen.

“As someone who has had a lifelong passion for motorsport, Ferrari has always been at the pinnacle of racing for me. I look forward to working with the talented and very passionate team at Maranello,” said Vasseur.

Vasseur wants to help Ferrari to the world title

Vasseur’s mission is clear. He must help Ferrari to a new world title. The Finn Kimi Raikkonen was the last world champion at the famous racing team in 2007. With Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel it didn’t work out in the following years and Ferrari missed this year again.

Leclerc started well with two wins in the first three races, but then things went wrong for the team. There were many retirements due to mechanical problems, but also poor strategy and clumsy tire changes meant Ferrari disappointed despite a fast car in a season in which Verstappen dominantly drove to the title with a record fifteen Grand Prix victories.

Leclerc well known Vasseur

Vasseur is well known to Leclerc. He had the Monegasque under his wing as a young talent and was his team boss in 2018 when Leclerc made his Formula 1 debut season with Sauber (now Alfa Romeo).

“Frédéric combines his technical knowledge as a qualified engineer with the ability to get the best out of his drivers. We need him to push Ferrari forward with renewed energy.”