Ferrari’s F1 team principal, Vasseur, highlighted a key weakness for his team

Frederic Vasseur, the new team principal of Ferrari, has been busy familiarizing himself with the team’s staff and meticulously preparing for his first season leading the Italian team, spending several weeks at their Maranello headquarters.

Frederic Vasseur, the team principal of Ferrari’s Formula One team, has emphasized the significance of a specific area that was a significant weakness for his team in 2022.

Despite beginning the last Formula One season with promise, Ferrari’s campaign ultimately ended in disappointment due to a combination of technical issues, poor decision making, and mistakes made by their drivers throughout the 2022 season.

Ferrari fell short of winning the constructor’s championship, which was instead secured by Red Bull Racing, and Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver, ended the season in second place in the drivers’ standings, behind the champion, Max Verstappen, who had a commanding lead.

Due to the team’s failure to win any Formula One championships for the first time since 2008, Mattia Binotto, the former team principal of Ferrari, resigned at the end of the year, and Frederic Vasseur was brought in from Alfa Romeo to take over as the new team principal of Ferrari.

Frederic Vasseur, the team principal of Ferrari, is expected to focus on improving the team’s decision making during races as one of his main priorities for the 2023 Formula One season.

“Strategy plays a crucial role in Formula One,” Vasseur stated to Racecar Engineering.

Vasseur also added that strategy can be complicated by certain factors such as tire management, scheduling of sessions during the race weekend, and the implementation of new parts that will perform well at certain circuits.

“The closer you are to the optimal performance, the more impactful a single error in operations or strategy will be,” Vasseur said. “It is crucial to ensure that the right actions are taken at the right time to take advantage of opportunities to gather data and make improvements.”

“Race strategy is entirely different from the rest, it depends on what is about to happen and how to take advantage of it,” Vasseur said. “Teams are always looking ahead at the next lap, while also keeping an eye on what their competitors are doing, to adjust their plans accordingly.”

“Knowing when your competitors might make mistakes during the race is also an important aspect of strategy,” Vasseur said. “These moments usually happen when the tire wear is high or when drivers are battling for position. Being aware of these situations can greatly change the outcome of the race.”

“For instance, a safety car period can offer great opportunities to gain positions or make a big leap in the field, or to take advantage of a new set of tires when others are not performing as well,” Vasseur said.

Vasseur also emphasized the importance of having feedback from drivers in terms of the team’s development, and he plans to gather this input from Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz during the upcoming season.

“The input from drivers is huge,” Vasseur explained. “Their first contribution is on the track, driving consistently and pushing the car to its limits, as well as their skills in wheel-to-wheel battles and making progress during each stint.”

“The second part of their contribution is their understanding of the physics and working with engineers to optimize the car’s potential during development,” Vasseur said.

“The third element is personal, keeping the drive and motivation to continue pushing themselves and encouraging the team to do the same, which is essential for exploiting all the hard work that goes into building and racing the car. It’s not a small task,” Vasseur said.

Ferrari F1 team Vasseur Ferrari F1 team Vasseur

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