Testing times for Vasseur, but the true challenge at Ferrari is about to come
Having been thrown straight in at the deep end as Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur has already had to tackle challenges both technical and political. While the Frenchman insists the situation inside Maranello is more serene than the gossip outside, that does not mean he is blind to the challenges that lie ahead
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur always knew when he took on the job that it would test his management skills to the core. The passion and politics inside Maranello have never been easy for team principals to manoeuvre their way through, which explains the pretty high turnover of the men at the top in recent years. But if Vasseur was expecting a bit of a grace period while he got his feet under the desk, that has been shattered quite quickly as he found himself coming up against elements that he has probably not had to deal with before.
On the one hand, there is the technical challenge of having to find the answers needed to get the Prancing Horse cars closer to the might of the Red Bull machine that currently looks odds-on favourite for a dominant season. Plus, Vasseur has found himself having to plot his way through the minefield of politics and media speculation that have long been part and parcel of life at Ferrari. And in the wake of its defeat and reliability blow in Bahrain, the rumour mill has been in overdrive in suggesting that all is far from well inside the doors of the Gestione Sportiva.
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