New Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur reveals 'one-to-one discussion' with his predecessor Mattia Binotto

New Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur recently revealed that he had a one-on-one discussion with his predecessor Mattia Binotto as part of the handover process. The former Alfa Romeo team principal was signed by the Italian team last season and lined up to replace Binotto.

Ferrari had a very impressive 2022 F1 season compared to the way they had been performing for a few years. The team jumped from the midfield and became a frontrunner.

Ferrari won two of the first three races of the season and firmly looked like favorites at the start of the season. A slump in form owing to poor strategic calls and a volatile power unit dropped the team out of contention and cost Binotto his position.

Fred Vasseur however was very complimentary of Binotto as he thanked him for a smooth handover process. He said, as reported by The Race:

“The process was crystal clear, even if we had some rumors in the press before Abu Dhabi or during Abu Dhabi, we didn’t discuss before. We had the first discussion the week after Abu Dhabi and it was very, very quick as a process. And then I had a call with Mattia, and I even met Mattia during the handover and we had a one-to-one discussion."

He added:

“It was thanks to Mattia for this because I appreciated the move from Mattia to stay, to wait for me, to discuss together, [it] was really appreciated from my side.”

The new Ferrari boss shuts down comparisons with Jean Todt

Ferrari hasn't won any title since 2008. They had gone through a similar slump before Jean Todt, a Frenchman took over in the 1990s and transformed the team. With Vasseur also being a Frenchman, comparisons have already been made.

However, the former Alfa Romeo team principal was quick to shut these down as he said,

“I think that you can’t compare what’s happened 20 years ago or a bit more. Today, F1 is changing. It’s a continuous change in F1, in the structure, in the size of the team, in regulations with the cost cap."

“I had some discussion with Jean because he stays close to the to F1 world. We chatted by WhatsApp a couple of weeks ago and I will meet him soon. All the advice is welcome for sure, but I think also it’s quite difficult today to compare the situation of 1994/95 and 2022.”

Ferrari will look to put together a stronger challenge this season to end their championship drought.