According to Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur, he will never lead the team with an ‘iron fist’, although that proved to be the road to success and dominance for Ferrari when Jean Todt took that approach.
Jean Todt was in charge of Ferrari from 1994 to 2007. With his leadership style, in which he used the figurative ‘iron fist’, he ensured that Ferrari returned to the top of Formula 1. He laid the foundation for the years of dominance in which Michael Schumacher won five world titles with Ferrari.
Together with Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, Jean Todt turned Ferrari into an almost unbeatable team that dominated the sport for years. However, current team boss Frederic Vasseur consciously chooses a different approach.
“Handling the ‘iron fist’ is not my leadership style, times have also changed,” said Vasseur. “People’s psychological approach is also different. We need to adopt a more inclusive approach where everyone can participate in a winning project. This applies in all areas, not just in Formula 1.”
According to Vasseur, Jean Todt did indeed experience glory years at Ferrari at the time, but prior to that it was mainly an achievement that he survived many difficult years at Ferrari without being put aside.
“From 1993 to 2000, Ferrari didn’t win. I think it was harder for Jean (Todt) to survive those seven years than to win one world title after another!”
“There are no recipes to win. You have to improve the system and Jean did a great job of surviving those years and developing the team in the right direction.”
From the outside there are often insinuations that the working atmosphere at Ferrari is not good, that it is a tumultuous way of working with the necessary conflicts, but according to Vasseur, none of that is true.
“When the possibility of me going to Ferrari was discussed, everyone said to me, ‘You’ll see what chaos and internal problems there are’. That idea is completely wrong.”
“Every morning when I arrive at the office there is a group of eager people at the entrance; It is a great driving force, even if it sometimes doesn’t help when you need some time and rest.”