Fred Vasseur of Scuderia Ferrari has received a sacked letter in tears due to…
In tears, Scuderia Ferrari‘s Fred Vasseur received a letter terminating his employment. After a fantastic start to the season, the Italian team looked to be in the running to finally break through for championships. However, they haven’t won a race since July and could fall behind Mercedes in the constructors’ championship if this weekend’s race in Abu Dhabi goes well.
Due to Binotto’s absence from the team’s last two races in Mexico and Brazil, there have been concerns raised over his future with the team. According to a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari CEO John Elkann has determined that a change is required.
“In relation to speculation in certain media regarding Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto’s position, Ferrari states that these rumours are totally without foundation,” the team said in a statement on Tuesday, vehemently refuting the rumors.
The team’s lowest finish since 1980 in the constructors’ championship came after a very poor 2020 season. With that in mind, the focus shifted to creating a car that would be competitive in 2022 under the drastic new design regulations.
Charles Leclerc’s victory in the first three races of the season gave Ferrari the impression that they had accomplished their goal, but in the 18 races that followed, they have only added two more wins. This can be attributed to a combination of circumstances, including driver error, poor strategy choices, and poor reliability.
Before Ferrari’s home race at Monza in September, Elkann stated he had “great faith” in Binotto in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. However, he emphasized that every aspect of the team’s performance needed to be improved.
Since then, Mercedes has made significant progress, highlighted by George Russell leading home teammate Lewis Hamilton to a one-two in Brazil. This will leave the Italian team as many observers’ third favorite heading into 2023. Max Verstappen and Red Bull have gone on to win the drivers’ and constructors’ titles.
Vasseur has been the team principal at Alfa Romeo (previously Sauber) since 2017. During that period, the team has used Ferrari engines.
The 54-year-old Frenchman left the club in 2016, having previously served as manager of Renault (formerly Alpine).
“In the past 24 hours, I have spoken with multiple Italian sources who have informed me that, prior to Ferrari’s announcement, they were, to use their own words, 99 percent certain that the Binotto era of Ferrari ownership was coming to an end and that they were fairly certain Vasseur would be the man to take over.
“Having leaks with these kinds of choices is not Ferrari’s style. The fact that it had been reported in the media yesterday would not have pleased them. Should they have been doubting Binotto’s future and chairman John Elkann was evaluating whether or not to continue with him, I would almost certainly argue that the revelation of this story increases the likelihood that Binotto will be retained for the upcoming season.
“For one or two individuals who don’t believe Venturini is well-known enough to take over and manage a large club like Ferrari, he could be an intriguing option.
You might ask, “Why not someone like Christian Horner? Why is he not associated with the Ferrari position? That’s not going to happen, as far as I can tell, because Ferrari has known for a very long time that Horner would not be taken away from Red Bull.
“We’ll monitor this closely. When Mattia Binotto arrives this weekend, he will be extensively questioned about Ferrari’s level of faith in his work during the official news conference.”
