Grosjean backs Vasseur to succeed at Ferrari F1 team

Ex-Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean has backed Frederic Vasseur to succeed at Ferrari when he takes over the Team Principal role next year.

Vasseur has been signed to replace Mattia Binotto, who will depart the squad at the end of the calendar year.

Binotto has worked with Ferrari for over 25 years and has led the team since 2019 in a team boss position, having previously worked in engineering roles.

Ferrari endured a difficult 2022 campaign after its apparent championship challenge in the early stages of the season fell apart as the year wore on.

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Strategy blunders, on-track errors and reliability concerns halted its momentum, with Red Bull going on to dominate the year.

However, the team returned to the top step of the podium for the first time since 2019 as it endured challenging campaigns in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Vasseur arrives at Ferrari having headed the Alfa Romeo F1 entry across the last several years.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, 10-time F1 podium finisher Grosjean says that the Ferrari job is a “huge challenge for anyone”, but says Vasseur “can do it”.

“He and Leclerc are very close friends and this helps the environment, but he also knows Sainz well,” Grosjean added.

Vasseur has experience working with Leclerc, as the Monegasque driver made his F1 debut for Sauber in 2018 when Vasseur was Team Principal.

Leclerc also won the 2016 GP3 Series for ART Grand Prix, a team co-founded by Vasseur.

Grosjean also had junior success with Vasseur, and says that the Frenchman has a strong understanding of racing.

“I won the 2007 F3 in his team and we worked together for a long time,” Grosjean said. 

“Frederic Vasseur is a born competitor, he understands racing like few others. And above all, I’ve never met a better technician to understand us pilots. It’s as if he were a pilot himself.”

Ferrari ended the 2022 season second in the Constructors’ Championship, with Leclerc also finishing the Drivers’ standings in second place.