Frédéric Vasseur has resigned as Team Principal of Alfa Romeo after six seasons in charge to move to Ferrari.
Vasseur first arrived at Alfa Romeo in 2017 when the team were formerly known as Sauber and replaced Monisha Kaltenborn as Team Principal, with this season having seen the team achieve their best finish of sixth place in the Constructors’ standings for the first time since 2012.
As part of his new role at Ferrari, Vasseur will become Team Principal and General Manager, which he will commence from 9 January.
In a statement confirming Vasseur’s departure to take up his new role at Ferrari, Alfa Romeo commented: “Frédéric Vasseur leaves a team bolstered by new partners, a growing workforce and with a bright future as the works team for a manufacturer in the not-too-far distance.
“He leaves as a friend, a mentor, a boss that could extract the best out of his charges: and, as we enter a new chapter of the history of our team, we will miss the smiles and jokes that would accompany him as he did the rounds in our Hinwil HQ.”
Vasseur meanwhile paid tribute to every staff member at the team as he said: “I owe a debt of gratitude to every single employee of the team, as they are the ones who got this team back on their feet and climbing the ladder of our sport.
“I am proud of the job we collectively have done as a team and a company, and even more so of the strong foundations we have laid for what’s to come next: but what I am the proudest of is the people that made this all possible, which in time have become friends.”
Vasseur also described Alfa Romeo as a team which “… will always feel like home…” as he reflected on his experiences with the team and belief that Alfa Romeo can continue grow in the future, despite returning to the Sauber name in 2024 before Audi takes over their entry in 2026.
The 54 year-old added: “I have learnt so much during my stint as a CEO and Team Principal and I feel each day has equipped me for what is to come.
“I know Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN will keep going from strength to strength and I’m looking forward to seeing them compete at the business end of the grid in the next few years.”
On taking up his new position as Ferrari Team Principal, Vasseur stated that he is “truly delighted and honoured” to join the Scuderia and replace Binotto, who quit post-season.
This move will see Vasseur reunited with Charles Leclerc who raced for him at Alfa Romeo in 2018 season, although he is excited to work with Ferrari’s “talented and truly passionate” staff at Maranello to build upon the team’s “history and heritage” in F1.
Chairman of Sauber’s Board of Directors, Finn Rausing praised Vasseur for providing “inspiring leadership” throughout his reign, whilst he noted that their performances this season serves as “… testament to the quality of his performance at the helm of the team.”
Reflecting upon Vasseur’s legacy at the team, Rausing said: “He was the first to believe in our project and he leaves a team in a much stronger, healthier position than when he arrived, with a bright future ahead of us, which is all that could have been asked of him.”
Ferrari CEO, Benedetto Vigna added that the Scuderia are “delighted” to appoint Vasseur as Team Principal, as he noted Vasseur’s combination of “his technical strengths as a trained engineer with a consistent ability to bring out the best in his drivers and teams.”
Vigna therefore stated that Vasseur’s qualities and leadership skills are what Ferrari need to push the team forward to fight for F1 titles again.
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