Toto Wolff has given his backing to Fred Vasseur following recent scrutiny over the Frenchman’s position at Ferrari, with Wolff stating that the squad “won’t get anybody better” as their team boss.
Reports emerged surrounding Vasseur’s future at the Scuderia ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in June, leading the Team Principal to call the speculation “disrespectful” during the weekend in Montreal.
Lewis Hamilton voiced his support for Vasseur in light of the rumours, with the seven-time World Champion arguing that the 57-year-old – who joined Ferrari ahead of the 2023 season – is “the person to take us to the top”.
Hamilton’s former boss Wolff has also backed Vasseur and argued that those in a leadership position of an F1 outfit need to be given time.
“It seems to be a bit of a revolving door with teams generally,” Wolff reflected when asked about the importance of long-term stability at the top of a team. “I think in F1, you can’t buy time, and you need to give senior leadership the time to get on top of things.
“Today we talked about Jean Todt. Jean Todt, if I’m not wrong, joined the [Ferrari] team in 1993 and they won the first championship in 2000. ‘93, ‘94, ‘95, ‘96, ‘97, ‘98, ‘99, 2000. Eight years. That’s how it goes, and it comes at cycles.
“Look at us. I’m not enjoying being in a phase that it’s the third year in a row that we are not fighting for a championship. We’re not useless. We have really good weekends. We’re winning races. It’s respectable at times.
“And when it’s not good, nobody’s questioning in a way whether the top guy is doing a good job or not. Leave him the space. Let him do [things]. They need to just let them do [things].”
Wolff went on to hail Vasseur’s characteristics and management skills, as well as acknowledging the pressure that the Ferrari boss faces from the team’s passionate fanbase.
“Fred is one of the best racing managers that I know,” said Wolff. “If I wasn’t here, I would take Fred. So, I respect him a lot. He’s a great personality. He’s a straightforward guy. He doesn’t do politics and lies. He knows what he’s talking about.
“He just needs to be given the trust to run this. He’s perfectly aware that in Italy, it’s like managing the football national team. You’re going to have the scrutiny from the media.
“Maybe that’s something you need to grow a little bit of a thick skin, because if he wins, he is Jesus Christ, and if you lose, you’re a loser. That’s how Italy is. That’s fantastic.
“That’s the passion that is in there. You’ve got to embrace that. Maybe that’s something he needs to learn. But the rest, he should be given the confidence in running this team. They won’t get anybody better.”
At the halfway point of the season, Ferrari are currently in second place of the Teams’ Championship on 222 points, putting them a sizeable 238 points adrift of leaders McLaren and only 12 points ahead of Mercedes in third.
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