Binotto out...Vasseur in ?

His name is actually Vasseur - he joined Sauber in 2017 after one year at Renault F1, and he's been the team principal at Sauber (that became Alfa Romeo) since then.
Alfa Romeo is leaving the F1, and Vasseur already has links with Ferrari, which has been the engine supplier for Alfa Romeo. So a move to Ferrari is plausible.

 

Is being the team principal at Alfa really a good recommendation? Isn't there someone successful to look for. What about Billy Bean of Money Ball fame? He knows nothing about F1, but he has the guts to take chances. He would want to win.

 

Vasseur didn't impress at Renault, with almost similar budgets as Ferrari (I assume). Would rather prefer someone super-structured like Seidl.

 

Fred Vasseur spent only a few months at Renault, and left after clashing with the new CEO*.
I don't think he can be judged by that.

*Funny that his replacement, Otmar Szafnauer, had left Aston Martin for the same reason.

 

He owned and ran various lower category formula teams with remarkable success. With a limited budget he's done well with Alfa, their biggest let down has been the unreliablity of the engine. Not a man to be underestimated. Very good eye for talent as well.

I wouldn't expect instant returns, but he can offer a reassured calmness to the team. That said, certain members should be very worried indeed.

 

Personally I wouldn't hold his renault episode against him much...dealing with the french in a french team with french politics is a recipe for disaster. Prost found that out, as did Red Bull and Alonso. He left on his own accord there as well after 1 season...

 

Yap, the whole "spanish connection" won't like the changes.....wich is great for the team!

 

I'll believe it when I see it.

One thing that is a problem for Ferrari, beyond the horrible race operations side, is the development cycles are piss poor.I honestly don't get these people that insist Binotto has a great eye for development. Every year Ferrari machines get more aero drag as the season goes on, and the updates either do nothing, or in fact make the problem worse. What's more, we saw the fuel flow scandal in 19' and this year with TD39, that BInotto builds around loopholes he's not prepared to fight tooth and nail to keep open.

Whether as team principle or technical director, Binotto has shown poor organizational skills.

Ferrari needs a Ross Brawn or Patrick Head type to help bring focus and direction to the car design and development, as both did with Bryne and Newey.

Of course, I'll believe it when I see it.

 

I'd love to see a full revolt at Ferrari, frankly.

Reuda, Meikes, Xavier, Jain, and Binotto all GONE. Let the Italians design the cars and let some English, German, or Frenchman be in charge of operations and projection management.

 

Instant returns IS what is expected...and needed. To start next season where the team is today is completely unacceptable. Ferrari fans have a right to demand that the beginning of next season be at the same level as the beginning of this season...but with a championship or two as the end result. There is no justifiable reason for anything less than that. Binotto should be publically flogged for what he has done to the team this year.

 

Ferrari has come out and denied it, but who knows.

Honestly, I’m at the point where I don’t really care, as it’s hard to care more than the team seemingly does.

 

Expecting instant results is a recipe for failure, especially in this business.

Vasseur can now only see what Ferrari does as the team claims how things are done. It'll be very hard to see how the mistakes are really made in these situations since now it's a non-live situation, so it'll be hard to address them. Hence my advocacy during the summer break to do it then since the season was already lost, and the replacement could see how the team operates in real time.

 

Remind me again, what was Matia Binotto’s experience before being given the top job? Oh, that’s right, ZERO. He is an engineer by trade and look, Ferrari have a half decent car. What a surprise. He is not a team leader, manager or master strategist; all areas that the team needs to upgrade immediately. Vasseur would be an instant upgrade… Frankly, my 8 year old would be an instant upgrade to this shambolic Ferrari management and strategy team.

 

Pit times at Interlagos we're the quickest I can recall in some time.
Maybe Binottos absence alone motivated everyone

 

Pit times isn't the big issue...pit timing is

 

The strategy at Ferrari is some of the worst of any race team on the planet. Didn't take the free pit stop at Miami, got undercut in Monaco, didn't pit Leclerc at Silverstone for the final restart, the bizarre late stops in France and Spa to go for fastest lap while in 6th, and of course Hungary.

Ferrari not having the fastest car, engine failures, a bad pit stop, or a driver error is understandable. But for the oldest racing team on the planet to function as a clown posse on race operations and literally get laughed at is unacceptable.

People saying Ferrari should keep backing Binotto are out of touch. The man is clearly incompetent when it comes to organization, politics, car development, and just general leadership. Ferrari shouldn't have a culture of fear like what happened to Dyer and Costa, but it also can't have a culture of criminal of incompetence.

So long as Binotto continues lead at Ferrari he'll put on a circus. The question is when the Ferrari board finally shut it down.

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+1

 

Exactly. And lets not forget Brazil qualifying...

1) pit for new softs but have no sets ready, both cars at this point are stacked behind each other, one with no wheels and 3 sets of tyres
2) tyres that went on turned out to be used softs in the end
3) put inters on when it's dry
4) Leclerc says it's dry and wants to box for slicks. Gets told "we're checking" (I swear at this point Leclerc must have nightmares involving that sentence). Checking somehow takes so long, Leclerc gets told to push as if he's starting a lap, so Xavi doesn't even have the (piss poor) excuse of not knowing where Leclerc is on track and calls him in after he already passed the pitlane.


That's about as many mistakes Red Bull has made in the whole season and Ferrari accomplished that in a single session.

Quite impressive if it wasn't outright depressing.

 

When Ferrari denies it, it usually happens.

 

While I hate the indecision of leadership changes, I fear Binotto was not the right guy for a long time. The mess with Vettel and now Leclerc is all on him. in my estimation Ferrari need a manager / Team leader that reports 100% to John Elkan and Piero Ferrari ( two majority holders ) - nobody else. Vigne is not the guy.

They need to have a set up a bit like Mercedes when they had Lauda around. they need a driver in a position of control/influence for the drivers, and sponsors... and someone to deal with the technical aspect - and also someone with a financial stake in the team. Its much better if your own money is at stake vs, a conglomerate.

as a Ferrari Shareholder - I would back Binotto being removed - not fired but removed. I think I would go after Jean Todt for 3 years and then perhaps Vasseur or someone else hungry for success. As for a Driver coach - Jackie Stewart ( but fear he's too old and expensive ) or perhaps Hakkinen or Vettel ... they need someone working with the drivers and engineers to make much better and faster decisions.

 

Hakkinen would be great in that role, I have always respected his honesty and intelligence.
Finns are often bluntly direct too, SF needs that.
The irony of Michael's great rival on our pit wall would be sweet.
Maybe Seb would be able to do it, but I think he sees his future wrapped around a tree.

 

Anybody less than Brawn will not be enough.

 

Looks like Laurent Mekies is also packing his bags....might still land as TP at sauber....

 

Can we get Massa and Smedley back?