Who is Fred Vasseur? The new Ferrari team principal's past in F1 and his relationship with Charles Leclerc

Mauro Mariani

Who is Fred Vasseur? The new Ferrari team principal's past in F1 and his relationship with Charles Leclerc image

Ferrari last tasted world championship glory in 2007, with a long 15-year title drought following.

With the aim of putting the Scuderia back on track, Fred Vasseur has been appointed as team principal.

The 54-year-old Frenchman will replace Mattia Binotto as he takes on his third role in Formula 1 after stints at Renault and Sauber (the latter re-named in 2019 to Alfa Romeo).

“We are delighted to welcome Fred Vasseur to Ferrari as our team principal," Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna said.

"Throughout his career he has successfully combined his technical strengths as a trained engineer with a consistent ability to bring out the best in his drivers and teams.

“This approach and his leadership are what we need to push Ferrari forward with renewed energy.”

Vasseur added: “I am truly delighted and honoured to take over the leadership of Scuderia Ferrari as Team Principal."

"As someone who has always held a lifelong passion for motorsport, Ferrari has always represented the very pinnacle of the racing world to me.

“I look forward to working with the talented and truly passionate team in Maranello to honour the history and heritage of the Scuderia and deliver for our Tifosi around the world.”

The Sporting News reviews Vasseur's history in F1 and takes a look at the strong relationship he has with Charles Leclerc, with whom he will work alongside again.

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Who is Fred Vasseur, Ferrari's new F1 team principal?

Born on May 28, 1968, in Draveil, France, Frédéric Vasseur graduated as a mechanical engineer from the famous French school ESTACA (Faculty of Aeronautics and Automotive Engineering) and in 1996, with the support of Renault, created the ASM team.

Glory came quickly: in 1998 he won the French Formula 3 Championship and from 2004 to 2007 he would prevail in the Formula 3 Euroseries together with Mercedes Benz. There, he teamed up with future Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

In 2004 he joined Nicolas Todt to form the ART Grand Prix team, which won titles in different categories (GP2, GP3 and Formula 3.5).

It was there where he met Charles Leclerc, with whom he will work alongside again next season.

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Vasseur's first experience in F1 came in 2016 with Renault - the team with which he had started his journey.

However, the experience was short: he left after a year due to differences with Cyril Abiteboul, the team principal at the time.

His strong work did not go unnoticed and in mid-2017, he took command of Sauber, who he guided until 2022.

In his last campaign with the team, he finished sixth, their best performance of the last decade.

His relationship with Leclerc was not just limited to the ART Grand Prix team - they also worked together at Sauber during the Monegasque's debut season in F1.

Leclerc scored 10 points that year, with a sixth-place finish in Azerbaijan his best result.

Mauro Mariani

Mauro Mariani Photo

Casi 15 años como periodista (UNLZ) y 10 en el Diario Olé para hoy ser productor de contenido de las ediciones en español de The Sporting News. Chef frustrado, apostador empedernido y criptoevangelizador. No acepto críticas: Argentina es Maradona, asado e inflación.