Alfa Romeo (Sauber) announced today that team principal and Sauber Motorsport CEO, Frédéric Vasseur, will depart the company in January 2023, after what they term “six successful seasons at the helm of the team” which means his role as the new Ferrari team boss is all but confirmed.
This move paves the way for Vasseur to take over as Ferrari team principal in the wake of Mattia Binotto’s resignation from the hottest management seat in sport, let alone motorsport.
Although no longer part of the decision-making process regarding the F1 team based in Switzerland, Peter Sauber, the team’s founder believes their long-standing sports director Beat Zehnder would be fit to step up: “I’m glad I don’t have to solve this task! Beat is a phenomenon in this sport!”
Others being mooted for the position, ahead of the 2026 Audi partnership, include Andreas Seidl, Jost Capito and Binotto himself will be on the ‘market’ provided he wants to remain in F1.
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Statement on Vasseuer departure:
The announcement marks the final chapter of a personal and professional path of growth for both the team and the man, a journey that culminated in Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen clinching its best result in the Formula One constructors’ standings in a decade with sixth place in the 2022 season.
This is a moment that marks the end of an era – a moment in which our team takes stock of the changes that took place under the stewardship of Vasseur. Appointing Fred was one of the first acts of the new shareholder of the team, in 2017: the popular Frenchman joined a team stuck at the back of the grid and struggling to attract talent.
Through relentless work, belief in the team’s own potential and shrewd management, things improved under Fred’s watch: points became a regular target; partners started adorning the once-blank bodywork of the car; Employee numbers kept ticking up.
Progress on and off track was followed by a growing sense of confidence in Hinwil: confidence that this team could once again be at the sharp end of the grid; confidence that things would get better season after season; Confidence that top talent would once again flourish in the sole reality of motorsport in the Zürcher Oberland. This all stemmed from Fred’s own sense of confidence: not in himself, but in the project that was presented to him in 2017 – a project in which he was one of the first to believe.
Frédéric Vasseur leaves a team bolstered by new partners, a growing workforce and with a bright future as the works team for a manufacturer in the not-too-far distance. He leaves as a friend, a mentor, a boss that could extract the best out of his charges: and, as we enter a new chapter of the history of our team, we will miss the smiles and jokes that would accompany him as he did the rounds in our Hinwil HQ.
Thank you, Fred, and good luck. We’ll be cheering for you wherever you go next.
Frédéric Vasseur commented: “As I prepare to bring my adventure at Alfa Romeo to an end, I can look back fondly at these six years together. I owe a debt of gratitude to every single employee of the team, as they are the ones who got this team back on their feet and climbing the ladder of our sport.
“I am proud of the job we collectively have done as a team and a company, and even more so of the strong foundations we have laid for what’s to come next: but what I am the proudest of is the people that made this all possible , which in time have become friends. This team will always feel like home and I’ll be rooting for it wherever I go.
“I have learned so much during my stint as a CEO and Team Principal and I feel each day has equipped me for what is to come. I know Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN will keep going from strength to strength and I’m looking forward to seeing them compete at the business end of the grid in the next few years.”
Sauber Holding AG Chairman of the Board of Directors, Finn Rausing added: “Frédéric gave our team six years of inspiring leadership and hard work, helping rebuild our company and our team. He was able to encourage every one of us into giving our best and the increasingly good results we have enjoyed are testament to the quality of his performance at the helm of the team.
“He was the first to believe in our project and he leaves a team in a much stronger, healthier position than when he arrived, with a bright future ahead of us, which is all that could have been asked of him. I am sure I echo everyone in the team when I wish Fred every success in his future endeavors.”
