F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Grosjean: Vasseur facing huge challenge at Ferrari but 'he can do it'

Ex-Haas charger Romain Grosjean says that achieving success with Ferrari will be huge challenge for Frédéric Vasseur but if there's one man who "can do it" it's the former Alfa Romeo team boss.

Last week, Ferrari confirmed Vasseur's appointment as the successor to Mattia Binotto at the helm of the Scuderia.

Many pundits view the 54-year-old Frenchman as the right operator for the job given his vast experience in team and driver management.

Only time will tell if Vasseur can leverage on the potential it showed in 2022 and iron the creases that undermined far too often the Italian outfit's operations on race day.

Read also:

Grosjean admits that managing the Scuderia is "a huge challenge for anyone" but that Vasseur "can do it".

"He and Leclerc are very close friends and this helps the environment, but he also knows Sainz well," Grosjean said, speaking to Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Indeed, in 2016 Leclerc won the GP3 Series with ART Grand Prix, the outfit founded by Vasseur, while the Monegasque spent his first formative year in F1 with Sauber-Alfa Romeo, working under the Frenchman's guidance.

But Grosjean is also well acquainted with the new Scuderia boss, having raced under orders Vasseur's orders at ART Grand Prix in the 2008 GP2 Series.

The Andretti Autosport IndyCar driver is therefore well-placed to judge the pragmatic and no-nonsense team boss.

"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."

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

FIA clamps down on plank loophole after Red Bull complaint

The FIA has issued a pivotal Technical Directive to F1 teams ahead of this weekend’s…

32 mins ago

F1 drivers blindsided by race director Wittich’s sudden exit

The abrupt removal last week of FIA race director Niels Wittich with just three races…

2 hours ago

McLaren relaxes ‘papaya rules’: Norris and Piastri free to race

Oscar Piastri has confirmed that McLaren’s team orders—dubbed the "Papaya Rules"—have been largely relaxed, giving…

3 hours ago

Cheers to the forever young pure racer Jacques Laffite

The forever young Jacques Laffite turns 81 today, but the years haven't aged this pure…

4 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Wednesday's build-up in pictures

The neon lights of Las Vegas are set to illuminate the Formula 1 world once…

5 hours ago

Tsunoda’s journey to Vegas nearly derailed by immigration standoff

Yuki Tsunoda kicked off his Las Vegas Grand Prix race week with a rather interesting…

6 hours ago