Formula 1
Binotto praised for helping Vasseur’s Ferrari F1 handover
Former Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Mattia Binotto has been praised by replacement Fred Vasseur for helping talk him through their handover.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Jan 31, 2023, 7:43 AM
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Vasseur was signed up by Ferrari in the wake of Binotto resigning last year, after feeling he did not have the necessary support of Ferrari chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna.
While Binotto expressed his ‘regret’ at the time about having to leave behind a team that he felt was on the up, it appears he made sure not to leave Vasseur in the lurch.
Speaking to the media this week about taking over from Binotto, Vasseur made it clear that the transition proceeded in a straightforward way – and he had a lot of support from the outgoing boss.
“The process was crystal clear,” explained Vasseur. “Even if we had some rumours into the press during Abu Dhabi [Grand Prix weekend], we didn't discuss before. We had the first discussion the week after Abu Dhabi and it was very, very quick as a process.
“Then I had a call with Mattia, and I even met Mattia during the handover. And we had a one-to-one discussion.
“It was thanks to Mattia for this, because I appreciated the move from Mattia to stay, to wait for me, and to discuss together.”
Jean Todt addresses the audience from the stage
Photo by: Motorsport Images
As well as getting some insight from Binotto about the challenges of being Ferrari team principal, Vasseur has revealed that he plans to get some advice from former boss Jean Todt soon too with a proper sit-down chat.
Todt famously led Ferrari during the glory years with Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s, prior to becoming the FIA president.
“For sure, I’ve had some discussions with Jean, because he’s stayed close to the F1 world,” explained Vasseur.
“We exchanged [messages] by WhatsApp a couple of weeks ago, and I will meet him soon. All the advice is welcome, for sure, but I think it’s also quite difficult today to compare the situation of ‘94, ‘95, and 2022.”
Todt’s exit from his FIA role last year prompted some suggestions he could return to Ferrari in a consultancy role.
However, despite his emotional ties to the team, Vasseur says that there is no consideration being given to such a plan – and anything between him and Todt will be on a purely personal level.
“I've known Jean for now more than 20 years,” added Vasseur. “He was never far away from me in my professional life.
“I think it makes sense for me to discuss with him, but it's not a matter to be a consultant. I'm considering Jean as a close relationship and nothing else.”
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