Managing a team like Ferrari cannot be easy. Being essentially a national team means that the expectations and scrutiny of an entire nation fall on the shoulders of the people in charge. Coming to think of it, it isn’t that much different from being at the helm of a country! Now, Scuderia’s latest boss, Frederic Vasseur finds himself in this exact predicament. However, luckily for him, managing a team like Ferrari can be equated to some degree to reigning over a country like the United States. And in his pursuit of glory with the team from Maranello, Vasseur seems to have learned a few tricks from ex-US President Donald Trump.
Back in his day, Trump was infamous for his one-liners. Perhaps the most well-known iteration being his “America First” slogan that propelled him into the US hot seat. As Vasseur now sits at the precipice of starting his Ferrari career, he too, may have taken some inspiration from the 76-year-old Republican to make a clear signal of intent to all their rivals.
Auto Motor und Sport quoted Vasseur and his intentions with Ferrari. “Ferrari first,” declared the Frenchman, doing his best Donald Trump impersonation. He went on to add, “This job is both an honor and a responsibility. The pressure at Ferrari is greater than elsewhere. But that can also inspire you.”
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But Vasseur doesn’t find himself a stranger to Ferrari’s atmosphere. He said, “I already have a pretty good idea of what drives this team. The DNA is the same for everyone. It has nothing to do with the size of the team. What differs from Sauber is the expectations.”
The team dynamic after the arrival of Vasseur will be a key plot-point of the 2023 season. That being said, the early signs seem very harmonious and promising indeed.
Charles Leclerc gives his verdict on Frederic Vasseur’s Ferrari appointment
Ferrari is infamous for its rotational hierarchy. But it would appear that since the arrival of Vasseur, something has changed. Ferrari’s poster boy Charles Leclerc is arguably the most important personality in the team after the boss, and he has given his thoughts on his old boss’ arrival.
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Planet Sport quoted the Monegasque as saying, “I was very impressed by how well he introduced himself in the team. Ferrari is very different to whatever we are used to before. Ferrari is huge. And once he got here, he understood extremely well the way Ferrari works from the first few days.
“He’s very clear in what he wants and he’s extremely good at putting the people in the right mindset and in the right ambiance to give their best. And this is very important.”
“So, that’s what he brings to Ferrari and I’m sure it will be a good thing.”
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Frederic Vasseur seems like he means business at Ferrari. But can he be the man to break the storied team’s 15-year-old title drought in 2023?