Vasseur considering changes to Ferrari strategy department

Fred Vasseur admits he is reviewing the strategic set-up at Ferrari in his new role as team principal, but says that mistakes are usually caused by processes rather than personnel.

Ferrari made a number of high-profile errors in 2022, continuing a theme that has made the team the target of regular criticism over its strategy calls. After joining from Sauber at the start of this month, Vasseur says he hasn’t had long enough to know if changes are needed but he is undertaking a review into the department to try and strengthen it.

More Formula 1

F1’s battle with the law of unintended consequences

Don't write Red Bull off despite departures - Brown

McNish takes on Audi F1 racing director role

“Very often when you are speaking about strategy or strategic or strategists you see only the visible part of the iceberg, and strategy is not just a matter of the guy who is at the top of the iceberg,” Vasseur said. “Very often it’s a matter of organization, communication, the flow of communication on the pit wall, and we are in the process of reviewing everything. It’s a bit short notice for me! But we’ll have to do some improvements.”

Vasseur said that part of his review process is to understand where there might have been weaknesses in the team’s structure that led to errors being made, as that is an area he feels can prevent people performing at the level they are capable of.

“We are currently discussing about this, about the organization," he said. "When you’re speaking about strategy or aerodynamics or another topic, you have to avoid to be just focused on the top of the pyramid. Very often when you’re speaking about strategy, it’s much more a matter of organization than the guy on the pit wall.

“I’m trying to understand exactly what has happened on every single mistake, what happened last year and to try to know if it’s a matter of a decision, a matter of organization, of communication.

“Very often on the pit wall, the biggest issue is communication and the number of people involved rather than the individual. If you put too many people discussing about the same thing, when you have the outcome of the decision, the car will be on the next lap! You need a clear flow of discussion, and clear flow of communication between good people in the right position. It’s work in progress.”