Why Vasseur should think three times before signing with Ferrari

Frédéric Vasseur is an amiable man. In the paddock, he is always up for a laugh, a tap on the shoulder or a joke. Moreover, he is taking Sauber - currently operating under the Alfa Romeo name - step by step up the rankings. He is an excellent people manager, exactly what HR people are currently looking for. In fact, it makes perfect sense that Ferrari seems to be ending up with the Frenchman as a replacement for the resigned Mattia Binotto.

For (almost) every driver, it is a dream to get behind the wheel of a red Ferrari car one day. Whether Ferrari is also the ultimate for a team manager remains to be seen. After all, sometimes the grass is not greener next door, is what Vasseur should be well aware of before (possibly) accepting Ferrari's advances.

Audi coming

Indeed, on a sporting level, Ferrari is a big step forward compared to Sauber. For now, that is. As we know, Sauber will become Audi's factory team in 2026. Then this brand - part of the Volkswagen Group - will make its entrance into Formula 1. Volkswagen Group is the world's second-largest car manufacturer and Audi has a rich history in motorsport. It has been extremely successful in all classes. No doubt Audi wants to do everything it can to be a factor of importance in Formula 1 as well. In any case, the financial resources and ambitions are there.

With the prospect of Audi on board, Sauber looks set for good times. For a CEO and team boss (Vasseur fulfils both roles), it should be a great challenge to lead this as well as eventually transform the team into a race-winning formation. At the same time, Audi also brings uncertainty. Such a dominant party undoubtedly has its own ideas on how to lead a team. The question is whether the Germans will not already start sawing at Vasseur's chair legs in the near future, to appoint their own people to crucial positions.

Force fields

At Ferrari, things are always unsettled. As team boss, you are always at the centre of attention, and every miss is blamed on you. Internally, from all corners of the organisation. There are always people who want to interfere with the team's direction. It was precisely a difference of opinion with then-CEO Cyril Abiteboul that made Vasseur resign as team manager at Renault in 2016.

Externally too, Ferrari are always under a magnifying glass, led by the Italian media. Vasseur, with his years of experience in motorsport, is firmly on his feet. Without a doubt, the Frenchman manages to weather most of the storms from journalism. But do you have to feel like it at all to constantly be the target of criticism? Do you know, for example, the media in Switzerland, who daily fill whole pages with critical stories about 'their' Sauber? Neither do we.

Roaring press release

If Vasseur makes the switch to Ferrari, there will undoubtedly be fine words in the press release. About how he is the right man to help Ferrari to a world title. That Vasseur has so much experience. That it is an advantage that he knows Charles Leclerc well from their shared time at Sauber. And Vasseur himself then looks ahead to many challenges. Big chance - though that won't be written down - the hefty pay rise also helped him choose Ferrari.

These are all reasons that will be written again by Ferrari in a year or two or three, then when announcing Vasseur's successor.