Vasseur and Binotto: two team principals, very different approaches
- danielesala04
- Apr 26, 2024
- 3 min read
Fréderic Vasseur and Mattia Binotto, two men who’s dream of becoming Ferrari team principal came true. But their stories are completely different. The first is the Scuderia’s present. The man who brought back the enthusiasm that had been missing for so long in Maranello, the one who seems to have found a promising direction in the world championship fight.
The second, team principal from 2019 to 2022 but Ferrari engineer since 1994, found himself thrown in a role that perhaps did not particularly suit him. Binotto still tried to get the Italian team back to the top, especially thanks to the F1-75, a car that was extremely competitive in the first part of the season. However, the team paid a high price for a mix of driver errors, strategy mishaps, communication issues and, most of all, the implementation of TD-39. Has anything improved since Vasseur’s arrival at Ferrari?
More linear management
It is not easy to judge Vasseur’s first few months in charge. The Frenchman began his adventure at Ferrari on 9 January 2023, by which time the SF-23 had already been designed by the previous management. Right from the start, the car was very difficult for the drivers to handle and far from being competitive. Not only was the team from Maranello unable to fight with Red Bull, but in several races it was even slower than Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin. However there were improvements across the season. Carlos Sainz took victory in Singapore and Vasseur managed to solve some of the team’s past weaknesses. There was more linear driver management, points were maximised each weekend, reliability improved. Then there was more efficient communication, better strategies, pit stops and effective aero updates on the car.
Especially in 2022, the year when Ferrari looked like it could fight for the world championship, Binotto failed to get the maximum collective result. Too many errors in communication and strategies, failure to keep his nerves during the race, pit stops and more were certainly among the main reasons for the dismissal of Binotto, a great engineer but perhaps not yet ready for the role of team principal at that time.
A different story in 2024
Vasseur started the current season with better knowledge of the Ferrari environment. He is aware the road to success is a long one, but the team seems closer to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The SF-24 presented itself as a completely different car to last season’s. It is not nearly as strong in qualifying, mainly due to issues in tyre warm-up. But the race pace is more competitive, it seems more stable to drive and easier to develop, while tyre management, last year’s Achille’s heel, has greatly improved.
The start of the season has been bright for Ferrari, with a win and five podiums gained in four races (three by Sainz and two by Leclerc), but these are not the only important figures. Thanks to Vasseur’s management, the red car is back to being not only competitive but also intriguing. Proof of this is Hamilton's strong will to race for the Italian team from next year, coupled with the ability to get maximum points every weekend, an efficient communication that many fans have appreciated and the concrete will to return to victory.
It is certainly still early to draw conclusions, but Vasseur's first 16 months at Ferrari have certainly been positive, in the hope that the future may hold even more magical moments for him.
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