Frederic Vasseur appointed as Ferrari team principal for 2023 Formula 1 season to replace Mattia Binotto

Ferrari have appointed Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur as their new team principal.

The 54-year-old Frenchman will become the head of Ferrari’s Formula 1 setup early next year, on January 9.

He will arrive as a replacement for Mattia Binotto, who resigned after the conclusion of the 2022 season.

With Alfa Romeo/Sauber to be taken over by Audi in 2026, Andreas Seidl has left his job as team principal at McLaren to step in as a replacement for Vasseur.

Binotto had been at Ferrari since 1995 but paid the price for failing to make the most of one of their most competitive cars in years.

Charles Leclerc led the championship at the start of the season with impressive pace but dropped off after strategic and tactical errors, reliability problems, and misfiring performances from both Leclerc and his teammate Carlos Sainz.

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna said of Vasseur’s appointment: “Throughout his career, Fred has successfully combined his technical strengths as a trained engineer with a consistent ability to bring out the best in his drivers and teams.

“This approach and his leadership are what we need to push Ferrari forward with renewed energy.”

Vasseur added: “As someone who has held a lifelong passion for motorsport, Ferrari has always represented the very pinnacle of the racing world to me.

“I look forward to working with the talented and truly passionate team in Maranello to honour the history and heritage of the Scuderia and deliver for our tifosi around the world.”

Vasseur is a change for Ferrari, who traditionally promote their own staff into the position of team principal, albeit Alfa Romeo are something of a sister outfit to their fellow Italian team.

Vasseur has headed up two Formula 1 teams, and also has an existing relationship with Monegasque Ferrari driver Leclerc from their time together in GP3, Formula 2, and in Formula 1 with Sauber for Leclerc’s maiden 2018 season.

Last week Leclerc commented on Vasseur, saying: “Ferrari is a very different team to any other teams. I can only comment on my experience with Fred, which has been good.

“I worked with him from the junior categories, he has believed in me and we have always had a good relationship. This should not influence the decisions. He has always been very straightforward and very honest, which is something I liked.”