Charles Leclerc is confident that Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur will take the right steps to bring the Scuderia back to the front of Formula 1.
After a period of observation and analysis, Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur is only now beginning to implement the necessary changes within the team. The Frenchman joined earlier in the year after criticized Mattia Binotto resigned.
When asked for his opinion on Vasseur’s management style and any changes, Leclerc says: “Well, I think he’s just starting that process now.”
“Up until now he has mainly tried to analyze the situation as quickly as possible in order to be able to make the best possible changes for the future. I think most of the work will start from now, we’ll see.”
Ferrari team boss Vasseur talks a lot with Leclerc
“Of course I speak to Fred a lot and I know his medium and long-term plans for the team,” Leclerc continues. “I have my wholeheartedly behind him and I trust him completely. I’m sure these are the right decisions and they go in the right direction for the team. That’s why I’m happy.”
The team is currently fourth in the constructors’ championship. Before last year’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, it had led ahead of rival Red Bull.
However, unreliability, strategic mistakes and the fact that the turbocharger output had to be turned down for the second half of 2022 pushed the shape curve down.
The new SF-23 has not yet achieved the racing pace it needs and suffers from more difficult handling. But that’s not the only thing to solve.
Ferrari team boss Vasseur must push ahead with restructuring
Vasseur will also have to oversee a reshuffle of several senior positions in the team as David Sanchez, head of vehicle development, joins McLaren. And Laurent Mekies also wants to leave.
The Ferrari sports director is to replace Franz Tost as AlphaTauri team boss next season and is trying to agree on an early termination of the contract with his still team.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella, who took over as chief at Woking on December 13, 2022, the day Vasseur’s appointment was confirmed, has already undertaken a major overhaul of his team’s technical department.
This included the poaching of Sanchez. Additionally, Stella recognized the need to rehire the team’s former sporting director, Gil de Ferran, as an advisor to strengthen McLaren’s governance structure.