"You couldn’t refuse an offer from Ferrari" - Scuderia team boss Fred Vasseur reveals that he never discussed his move with Audi

Ferrari F1 team principal Fred Vasseur has stated that he did not inform Audi about his intention to sign for the Italian manufacturer and pointed out that he could not refuse the offer from the Prancing Horses. The former Alfa Romeo team boss and CEO has replaced Mattia Binotto at the helm of the Ferrari F1 racing team starting in the 2023 season.

Vasseur mentioned that he was tight-lipped about joining the Italian giants to the Audi Group when he was approached by Ferrari CEO John Elkann and revealed that when he finally spoke to his previous employers, they gave him the go-ahead. Speaking to Motorsport, he said:

"I thought for myself and only had conversations with John Elkann. I didn't discuss anything with Audi before the announcement either. I finally spoke to someone from Audi, but they said you couldn't refuse an offer from Ferrari."

The Frenchman revealed that the process between him and the team went very smoothly after they started talking at the end of the last race of the season in 2022. He added:

"The process then went very smoothly. I then also called Mattia. He was even there during the transfer. The two of us spoke there for a while. This came from Mattia. He kept waiting for me to discuss it. I really appreciated that from my side."

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Ferrari F1 team principal speaks on the possibility of Charles Leclerc becoming the no. 1 driver

On his first day at the Italian team, Fred Vasseur mentioned that he was unwilling to discuss the possibility of Charles Leclerc being the No. 1 driver of the team going into next season. Speaking to The Race, he said:

"I don’t want to put this topic on the table today. I think it wouldn’t be a good way to start the collaboration."

Vasseur revealed that Leclerc was not the top priority at the start of his stint as Ferrari team principal. He pointed out that he wanted to focus on the sporting side of the team while claiming that he and Leclerc have a good relationship. He said:

“We have to be focused on the sporting side, to get results. It’s like for the wedding, if both sides of the table are happy with the situation we will continue. But it’s not the priority today. We have a good relationship, we’ll have time to discuss this. The only topic today that we have to be focused on is pure performance and getting results.”

Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc have previously worked together at Alfa Romeo Sauber during the Monegasque's debut F1 season in 2018.