Vasseur, the former team principal of Alfa Romeo, assumed control at Maranello in January following the departure of Mattia Binotto.
One of his primary responsibilities was to enhance the team by bringing in important new hires, which proved to be challenging due to the lengthy process of recruiting valuable staff members who are currently on gardening leave.
The task became more challenging when two key members of the Ferrari team, race director Laurent Mekies and senior design engineer David Sanchez, left to join AlphaTauri and McLaren respectively. This created vacancies that need to be filled.
Vasseur has already recruited Mercedes performance director Loic Serra, although he is not expected to be able to start work until 2025 as things stand.
Vasseur was questioned about the progress of assembling his desired team, to which he responded that the task is an ongoing process with no definite end.
“He said we are far apart because when you perform my duties, there is no need to envision a flawless arrangement.”
Constant improvement and adaptation are essential. Remaining stagnant with the identical framework for consecutive years leads to failure, as others will inevitably progress.
“I don’t have a definitive understanding to confidently state that I must proceed in this manner and expect guaranteed success. It would be unwise.”
“We have plans to implement various modifications in the upcoming weeks, months, and years, as certain subjects require more time than others. However, this process of continuous evolution and enhancement is ongoing.”
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23
Photo by: Ferrari
Vasseur mentions that the team is starting to understand the direction they need to take for their car in 2024.
“Yes, we are beginning to gain a clearer understanding of the situation, identifying our vulnerabilities and areas where we are more prepared,” he stated.
“I will keep this to myself, I apologize! However, race after race, we are gaining a clearer understanding of the situation.”
Vasseur, in the meantime, emphasized that he remained grounded following Charles Leclerc’s impressive achievement of securing third place in Spa over the past weekend.
“He mentioned that he would remain composed as we had a similar press gathering a week ago, where everything seemed chaotic. McLaren was excelling while we were making foolish mistakes,” he expressed.
Today [Sunday], McLaren is at the rear while we are positioned at the forefront, compared to the previous week.
“We need to remain composed and approach each race with a relaxed mindset. We are aware that the competition is fierce, to the extent that a small change or two can cause a shift from P2 to P11.”
“And this is not the conclusion of the season, there is still much to accomplish. However, it is certainly satisfying to conclude the initial phase of the season on a positive note. At the very least, we will have a positive race in mind during the two-week break.”
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