Ferrari president names one major aspect Frederic Vasseur brings to the team that they were 'lacking' as compared to rival F1 teams

Ferrari president John Elkann heaped praises on Frederic Vasseur, sharing insights on how the Frenchman is bringing a change to the Italian manufacturer's F1 team.

Vasseur was appointed as the team principal for the Ferrari F1 team by Elkann before the beginning of the 2023 season, as a replacement for the ousted Mattia Binotto.

The Ferrari president noted two important qualities Vasseur brought to the table, from his prior experiences leading smaller F1 organizations. He stated accountability and 'nimbleness' as two determinant factors that the Italian team lacked which led them to appoint Vasseur.

"What's really important, and this is the thinking we had, is that accountability is really one of the biggest determinants in what our competitors have achieved well. And also nimbleness, despite their larger organizations," he told BBC in an interview.

"They tend to be nimbler, faster. And Fred had those attributes, having been working in motorsport all his professional life and having been very successful in different categories, but also in F1 having managed a smaller team."

Ferrari F! team principal Fred Vasseur

Vasseur led the highly successful ART Grand Prix F2 team before he stepped up to Formula 1, leading the Renault outfit for a brief period of time before moving to the Alfa Romeo/ Sauber team.

John Elkann stressed that Fred Vassuer brought with him a culture of accountability and made the workflow more effective and 'nimbler', two attributes he picked up while working at smaller teams.

"So on one side he brings a culture of responsibility and accountability, but he also knows and has operated in organizations that are smaller, more effective and nimbler and that is definitely something we were lacking compared to our stronger competitors."

With Vasseur at the helm of one of the biggest teams in the sport, John Elkann is assured that the Frenchman has brought harmony in the synchronization between various departments.

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Ferrari team principal reckons momentum with the team to secure P2 in the standings

Heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari trail rivals Mercedes by just four points for second in the constructors' standings. The Italian team is coming off a strong weekend at Las Vegas, with Fred Vasseur praising the team's recovery in the second half of the season.

“If you consider that we were 60 points behind them couple of races ago, we are on a good path,” Vasseur was quoted by motorsport.com. “But Abu Dhabi will be another story, four points, it's nothing or a lot.

Vasseur also highlighted that the SF-23 was performing better across various conditions and is confident of overtaking the Mercedes in the season finale

“And again we were able to perform in Monza, in Singapore, in Mexico during this weekend on different tracks with different weather conditions, different compounds, and we can be more than motivated before Abu Dhabi. The momentum is for us, and let's see what happens."

The Abu Dhabi GP is scheduled for November 24-26 and will mark the end of the 2023 season.