Ferrari’s most ‘important investments’ revealed ahead of renewed F1 2024 push : PlanetF1
A former F1 team boss has praised Fred Vasseur’s approach to his first year in charge of the Scuderia Ferrari.
Vasseur assumed control of Ferrari’s F1 team in January 2023, taking over from the ousted Mattia Binotto following a 2022 season that failed to live up to expectations.
The former Alfa Romeo/Sauber team boss had to take over a team that had developed a reputation for a lack of clarity on the strategic side, and former F1 team founder Giancarlo Minardi has evaluated the progress Vasseur has made over the last 12 months.
Giancarlo Minardi: The good stuff comes now
Speaking in an interview with Italy’s Gazzetto dello Sport, Minardi was asked to assess Vasseur’s first year in charge of the Gestione Sportiva, with Minardi saying Vasseur’s hiring of more staff during 2023 was a necessary step.
“He found everything done. The good stuff comes now,” he said.
“Everyone tells me, and Fred himself has said, that major investments have been made in terms of men and manpower, so we’ll see what and how many grafts will come in.”
Minardi said that several years of the same people doing the same jobs, with varying levels of success, meant it was time for Vasseur to carefully evaluate his new team and compare to what leading outfits like Red Bull and Mercedes were doing.
“Inevitable operations, given that we come from a certain immobility,” Minardi said.
“And that the machine has already been made by the same people for years.
“It was time to perceive, understand and learn what others are doing. That’s the job of the team principal.
“Of course, at Ferrari, when you are second, you are the first of the losers, so it’s not easy.”
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With Ferrari ending 2024 in respectable fashion, appearing much more cohesive and forward-facing with some upward momentum despite missing out on second in the Constructors’ Championship, Minardi believes the stable regulations into 2024 are a sign of encouragement that next year could be strong for Ferrari.
‘On a technical level, Ferrari has had an up-and-down performance, with some worrying moments in the summer,” he said.
“But it’s true that finishing on an upward trend is a positive sign for 2024.
“That, precisely, because of the stability of the regulations, will be decisive’.
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