Frédéric Vasseur
Frédéric Vasseur | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 28, 1968 Draveil, Île-de-France, France |
| Occupation(s) | Motorsport executive, engineer, entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Known for | Team principal of Ferrari Formula One team; founder of Spark Racing Technology; co-founder of ART Grand Prix |
Frédéric Jean Henri Vasseur (born 28 May 1968) is a French motorsport executive, engineer, and entrepreneur. Since 2023, he has served as the team principal for Ferrari in Formula One, having previously held leadership roles at Renault, Sauber, and Alfa Romeo.
Originating from Paris, Vasseur pursued aeronautical engineering studies at (ESTACA). In 1996, he established ASM, which achieved multiple national and European Formula Three titles. Later, in 2004, he co-founded ART Grand Prix alongside Nicolas Todt, capturing back-to-back GP2 Series championships with drivers Nico Rosberg (2005) and Lewis Hamilton (2006). Under his guidance until 2017, ART secured four GP2 teams’ championships and dominated the Formula 3 Euro Series with five consecutive titles from 2005 through 2009.
Vasseur took on the role of team principal at Renault in , but after one season, he departed to lead Sauber starting in . He managed Sauber for six years, during which the team was rebranded as Alfa Romeo. In , he transitioned to Ferrari and has since overseen multiple Grand Prix victories up to the .
In addition to his team management career, Vasseur founded Spark Racing Technology in 2013. This company became the official chassis supplier for the inaugural season of Formula E in 2014. Spark developed several generations of vehicles, including the SRT_01E, SRT05e, and the Gen3 series (Gen3 and Gen3 Evo) introduced for the 2022 and 2024 seasons respectively. Furthermore, Spark holds the license to produce vehicles for Extreme E, manufacturing the Odyssey 21 model utilized since 2021.
Early and personal life
Frédéric Jean Henri Vasseur was born on 28 May 1968 in Draveil, located in the Île-de-France region of France. He married Marie Laure on 31 July 1999, and together they have four sons.
Education and junior formulae (1996–2015)
Vasseur completed his aeronautical engineering degree at the ESTACA in 1995.
In partnership with Nicolas Todt, he co-established ART Grand Prix in 2004, securing GP2 Series championships with drivers such as Nico Rosberg (2005) and Lewis Hamilton (2006).
Leading ASM from 1998, collaborating with Renault, he clinched the French Formula 3 championship with driver David Saelens. Between 2004 and 2007, ASM partnered with Mercedes-Benz to win several titles in the Formula 3 Euroseries, boasting champions including Jamie Green, Lewis Hamilton, Paul di Resta, and Romain Grosjean.
At the close of 2013, through his company Spark Racing Technology, Vasseur secured an FIA contract to manufacture 40 chassis for the first-ever season of Formula E, a contract that remains active.
Renault (2016)
During the 2016 Formula One season, Vasseur was appointed team principal of the newly established Renault Sport Formula One Team. However, after one year marked by disagreements over team management with managing director Cyril Abiteboul, he resigned. Subsequently, he was appointed by Sauber in July 2017.
Sauber / Alfa Romeo (2017–2022)
On 12 July 2017, Vasseur was appointed as managing director and CEO of Sauber Motorsport, in addition to serving as team principal for the Sauber F1 Team.[1]
Ferrari (2023–present)
In December 2022, Vasseur succeeded Mattia Binotto as team principal of Ferrari for the season, marking him as the fourth non-Italian and the second French individual to lead the team.[2] His inaugural victory as principal came when Carlos Sainz Jr. triumphed at the , representing the sole non-Red Bull win that year.[3] Vasseur secured his first 1–2 finish at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.[4] Throughout , Ferrari, under his direction, claimed victories in Monaco, Italy, the United States, and Mexico City, ultimately finishing second to McLaren in the World Constructors' Championship.[5]