Laurent Mekies' impending departure to AlphaTauri is seen as a major blow to Ferrari's rebuild plans, but team principal Fred Vasseur feels otherwise. Here's why Vasseur thinks loss of a key member won't hurt the team: F1
That was one of the obvious questions to emerge when the former’s plannedVasseur remains bullish, insisting in essence that Ferrari is a big organisation and that it’s not about individuals.
Firstly, this has all happened very quickly and he’s needed to fulfil his usual duties for the time being, and secondly it remains an amicable situation. He hasn’t been dispatched on an immediate gardening leave, which sometimes happens straight away when a key player puts his hand up and says I’m off.
"This will depend on the condition of the change. For sure as I said before, we have a long-term contract with him and we'll have to find the best for Ferrari, and depending on when he will leave the company, and when he will move to Toro Rosso, we will decide the end of the collaboration. “Now I'm there to protect the interests of Ferrari. And it's Ferrari first and it will be always Ferrari first, and it means that we'll have to discuss about the conditions of this."Vasseur is also convinced that Mekies will do a good job. Between his first spell at Toro Rosso and his move to Ferrari in 2018, the 45-year-old worked for the FIA as safety director and deputy race director, and has thus seen the sport from a very different angle.
Indeed, until Vasseur got the nod he could have been a potential successor for Mattia Binotto. So, could he have become frustrated after missing out? His friend’s impending departure is obviously a personal blow for Vasseur, but he insists that the team will work around it. With senior engineer David Sanchez having recently left ahead of a move to McLaren in 2024, it’s starting to look like an exodus of key players, but Vasseur says that it’s just normal F1 business.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
F1 rumours: Ferrari exodus continues as Laurent Mekies departs for rivalFerrari's staff loss is rumoured to have continued as they have lost assistant team principal and race director Laurent Mekies to AlphaTauri.
Read more »
Carlos Sainz does not blame Laurent Mekies for Ferrari departureCarlos Sainz says he understands Laurent Mekies' decision to leave Ferrari and take a 'step up' to a team principal role.
Read more »
Franz Tost out and Laurent Mekies in as part of major AlphaTauri changesFranz Tost will leave his role as AlphaTauri team principal at the end of the season to be replaced by Laurent Mekies.
Read more »
Ferrari's Mekies to replace Tost as AlphaTauri F1 principalBreaking: Franz Tost will step down as AlphaTauri's team principal at the end of the current F1 season, with Ferrari's sporting director Lauren Mekies lined up as his replacement.
Read more »
Why AlphaTauri F1 shake-up has added to Vasseur’s headachesAlphaTauri\u2019s end-of-season management shake-up, with team principal Franz Tost being replaced at some point by Laurent Mekies, marks the start of a new chapter at the Italian Formula 1 team.
Read more »
Why AlphaTauri F1 shake up has added to Vasseur’s headachesAlphaTauri\u2019s end-of-season management shake-up, with team principal Franz Tost being replaced at some point by Laurent Mekies, marks the start of a new chapter at the Italian Formula 1 team.
Read more »