Fred Vasseur has dismissed rumours that his friendship with Toto Wolff has suffered as a result of him robbing Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Despite their recent competition, the Ferrari CEO and the Silver Arrows team principal have a long-standing friendship.
Despite having worked together in the F1 paddock for more than ten years, Wolff and Vasseur have not faced off as direct competitors until the last twelve months. The current Ferrari team chief previously managed Alfa Romeo, where he competed against players like Haas and Williams in the lower echelons of the middle.
Even though Simons has only made a few senior PSG appearances, his career has taken off, mostly during stints away from the Parc des Princes. During his time on loan at RB Leipzig this season, he has thrived, contributing to 18 goals in 31 Bundesliga games. He scored an incredible 19 league goals during his time at PSV Eindhoven the previous season.
With the summer transfer window drawing near, interest in signing Simons is growing. Sport claims that PSG has not yet accepted an official offer from RB Leipzig to hire him permanently.
Tensions never reached a breaking point despite a fierce struggle between the two teams for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship the previous season. But since Vasseur was able to steal seven-time world champion Hamilton from under Wolff’s nose at the beginning of February, a new crease has appeared in their relationship.
In an interview with La Repubblica, Vasseur talked about his relationship with Wolff and responded, “No, it’s still okay.” We were aware that we might eventually compete on some topics when I joined Formula One ten years ago, and that this would be problematic for our relationships.
It’s also true that we haven’t directly competed with one another up until now. Although it was our first race on the track last year, we have always made an effort to keep the personal and professional spheres apart. In this sport, things are difficult to fully split, therefore it is not always simple.
Vasseur is lucky in that he won’t likely have to worry about competing against Mercedes in 2024. The season has started terribly for the Silver Arrows, who have only amassed 64 points from the first six rounds of competition. With just 22 points separating them from Aston Martin, this result has them mired in P4 in the Constructors’ Championship.
Ferrari, on the other hand, has had a great start to the season, having amassed 187 points from their first six races. Thanks to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s unwavering consistency, the Italian constructor is now closer to Red Bull, the leaders of the championship, than it is to McLaren, which is now in third place.
With the assistance of ten new enhancements from the Woking-based team, Lando Norris won his first Grand Prix in Miami, tipping the scales in favour of McLaren. However, Vasseur’s team will have their own bumper package arrive in time for Sunday’s race in Imola.
