Formula One: Alfa Romeo’s Fred Vasseur replaces Mattia Binotto as Ferrari Team Principal

Bosses of Formula One teams are playing a fast game of musical chairs as Alfa Romeo’s boss Frédéric Vasseur moves to Ferrari hours after announcing he is leaving the Sauber team.

The French team principal and CEO will replace Mattia Binotto as head of the Italian racing outfit after the latter resigned last month, bringing with him more than two decades worth of motorsport experience.

Mattia’s decision to resign came after a difficult and disappointing year with Ferrari, with the team finishing as runners-up to Red Bull Racing, despite their on-track promise throughout the 2022 season.

Mattia had been in charge of the team for three seasons but faced heavy pressure in the second half of the championship as Charles LeClerc and Carlos Sainz fell away from their competitors.

On the other hand, Fred led Alfa Romeo to their best finish in a decade with his drivers Valterri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu coming in at sixth in the constructor’s championships.

With the announcement, Fred said: “I am truly delighted and honoured to take over the leadership of Scuderia Ferrari as Team Principal. As someone who has always held a lifelong passion for motorsport, Ferrari has always represented the very pinnacle of the racing world for me.”

As mentioned, Fred’s move is one of the latest in the game of musical chairs in off-season where drivers and principals swap roles and teams, often referred to as ‘silly season’, as it was most recently announced McLaren’s Andreas Seidl will take Vasseur’s CEO place at Alfa Romeo.

Andreas will leave Andrea Stella in his place at McLaren as he settles into his own new role while choosing their new team principal before the outfit becomes Audi’s factory team in 2026. The upcoming CEO has previously worked for Sauber (Alfa Romeo) as the Head of Trackside Operations.

Another move that sent shock waves through the Formula One paddock was the decision for British team Williams to part ways with their team principal Jost Capito.

Capito was originally tempted out of retirement to front the company by Williams’ owners Dorilton Capital in 2020, in a bid to rebuild the team.

Capito helped the team take a step forwards in 2021 with now-Mercedes driver George Russell scoring a podium and setting Williams up for an eighth place finish in the championships.

However, this year did not bring as much success as the British outfit fell back down to tenth place with only eight points scored across the 23 races.

Jost said: “It has been a huge privilege to lead Williams Racing for the last two seasons and to lay the foundations for the turnaround of this great team. I look forward to watching the team as it continues on its path to future success.”