Five issues new Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur will have to fix for F1 2023

Ferrari have confirmed Mattia Binotto’s departure as team principal at the end of December. Here’s what his replacement - Frederic Vasseur - will need to change when he takes the job for F1 2023.
Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc

Fix their strategy team 

One of Ferrari’s weaknesses in 2022 was their consistently poor - or in🥀decisive strategy calls. 

Strategy making ꦯis an integral part of any F1 team, especially when two teams are evenly-matched on outright performance. 

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F1 races are often decided by important calls on the pit wall, whether they 🦂should opt for a specific strategy - one-stop or two-stop?

Ferrari’s 2022 campaign was littered with operational errors, from incorrect tyre call𒀰s to poor communication on the pit wall to their drive♊rs.

168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Charles Leclerc was on 💯the wrong end of a number of bizarre🗹 strategy choices.

In Monaco, Ferrari failed to react to Red Bull putting 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Sergio Perez on the intermediates, costing Leclerc the potential to win his home racꦦe, drꦑopping from pole position to finish fourth.

Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari F1-75 on a formation lap. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 7, Monaco Grand Prix, Monte
Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari F1-75 on a formation lap. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 7,…

It was a similar story at Silverstone as Ferrari didn’t pit Leclerc under the Safety Car, allowing teammate168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Carlos Sainz to overtake, before losing further positions to Perez and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lewis Hamilton.

According to some reports, the British Grand Prix was the moment Leclerc and Binotto’s relationship soured after the Italian 🌸gave his star driver somewhat of a telli🐭ng off after the race in parc ferme.

Hungary was another bad day for Ferrari’s strateg🍌y tea🐬m, putting Leclerc on the hards when they were an awful race tyre.

Ferrari were making sub-par strategy choices in their failed title bids with168澳洲5最新开奖结果: Sebastian Vettel in 2017 and 2018.

Ferrari need to address this if they have any hope of t♎oppling Red Bul🌞l next year.

Get behind Leclerc

With Leclerc out of contract at the end of 2024, Ferr𓆉ari ཧneed to do everything they can to appease the Monegasque. 

Leclerc is Ferrari’s star man, and if given the machinery, he has the ꩲtools needed to take it to Verstappen and Hamilton.

While Sainz is a solid performer, he’s yet to show the levels of pace Leclerc or Verstap꧋pen have.

(L to R): Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) Ferrari and Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 19, United
(L to R): Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) Ferrari and Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari. Formula 1 World…

Granted, the Spaniard struggled with the oversteer nature of the Ferrari car in the first half of the season, however, the car should be tꦏailored towards their best driver, like Red Bull d♍o with Verstappen.

It’s incredibly likely Mercedes will be looking for a replacement for Hamilton by thꩲe time 2025 comes around - when Leclerc is ou🅠t of contract.

If Ferrari can’t prove they h🥀ave the potential to be tiღtle winners, Leclerc might start looking elsewhere.

Plus, it’s in Ferrari’s interest to have a clear team h♑ierarchy given how successful it has been for Red Bull, Mercedes and even the Scuderia in the past.

Change the team’s mentality 

Remarkably, Feܫrrari still haven’t won the dr♛ivers’ championship since 2007.

They’ve had a few n𒉰ear m🎃isses since then, but it’s clear the famous Italian team isn’t a title-winning outfit.

After two disappointing seasons by their high standards, Ferrari returned to the front of the grid in 2022 wit♏h a race-winning car.

Until the Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari had the quickest car, but Ve✅rstappe🐎n was well in control of the title race.

It seemed Binotto was satisfied wཧith Ferrari's season because they had made significant progress over the winter, even though their title bid collapsed prematurely.

Mattia Binotto (ITA) Ferrari Team Principal. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 22, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina
Mattia Binotto (ITA) Ferrari Team Principal. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 22, Abu Dhabi…

Binotto’s inability to acknowledge or accept Ferrari’s failing൲s throughout the campaign was also puzzling. 

Yes, the progress they made since 2021 was imp💟ressive but given their size, stature and resources, it was only a matter of time.

Four wins in 22 races was not good enough. 

Car development

Developing their car throughout a season has been a weakness for Ferrari in their🔯 recent title pursuits.

They were hit hardest by the technicalꦚ directive introduced at Spa, but Ferrari refutes this suggestion.

Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari F1-75. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 14, Belgian Grand Prix, Spa Francorchamps, Belgium,
Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari F1-75. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 14, Belgian Grand Prix,…

Binotto confirmed on a number of occasions that they cut off their development on this year’s car prematurely, explaining why Mercedes overtook them🙈 in the latter part of the year.

Car development has been an area of weakness for the team, even in the early 2010s with🎃 Fernando Alonso or 2017/18 with Vettel.

Imprไoving this while making steps with the power unit's reliability is a key task for Vasse✨ur.

Ferrari’s internal politics

The ro🐽le of team principal at Ferrari is often seen as a poisoned chalice. 

Since 2013, Ferrari 🔴have had four different men in charge of their F1 team.

Whether 💜it’s a lack of results or a falling out with Ferrari’s managem𒊎ent, the role is a challenging one.

According to a report by RacingNews365, CEO Benedetto Vigna “meddled” with team strategies🔥, while🍰 chairman John Elkann did not end speculation about Binotto’s future until he was asked to do so by the Italian.

Coping with Ferrari’s senior management is another tough task for the Frenchman at 😼the helm of F1's biggest team.

(L to R): John Elkann (ITA) FIAT Chrysler Automobiles Chairman with Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) Ferrari. Formula 1 World
(L to R): John Elkann (ITA) FIAT Chrysler Automobiles Chairman with Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP)…

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