Marcus Ericsson has labelled Frédéric Vasseur as a “great signing” for Sauber, following the appointment of the Frenchman as Team Principal.
Sauber was left without a Team Principal in the wake of Monisha Kaltenborn’s exit last month but announced on Wednesday that it had recruited Vasseur as her successor.
Vasseur has been instrumental in the success of the ART team, which operates in junior categories, and last year acted as Racing Director, and then Team Principal, at Renault, upon the manufacturer’s return to Formula 1.
Ericsson, who has been with Sauber since the end of 2014, reckons Vasseur, who will officially join on Monday, will have a positive influence on the Swiss outfit.
“I think it’s a really good signing for Sauber,” Ericsson told Motorsport Week ahead of the British Grand Prix.
“Fred has shown – maybe not in F1, because he’s not been that much in F1 – but everything else he’s done has been very, very successful.
“In the paddock when you speak to people he’s highly respected, so for the team he’s a great signing.
“He’s starting on Monday, I’m sure he will put his touch on the team, overall [he’ll] look at different departments and make sure that things are done the way he wants, so it’s pretty good.”
Rumours have arisen in recent days that the 2018 deal between Sauber and Honda is under threat, and Ericsson thinks Vasseur’s priority will be to address the situation.
“I’m not really sure to be honest,” Ericsson said when asked for the latest on the situation.
“It’s all been a lot of things happening the last few days, obviously nothing I’m involved with, from what I understand there is some things happening.
“Fred’s priority to start off is to sort that out.”
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